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Arctic hierarchies? Norway, status and the high north

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 February 2013

Elana Wilson Rowe
Elana Wilson Rowe*
Affiliation:
Norwegian Institute of International Affairs, CJ Hambros Plass 2D 0033 Oslo, Norway (ew@nupi.no)
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Abstract

This article focuses on one potential motivation for a state's behaviour in international affairs, namely status-seeking, in order to shed light on Norway's Arctic politics and to discuss the role of hierarchies in Arctic politics more generally. The idea that a state's political elite seek national security and economic gain is well established in international relations (IR) literature. However, another key motivation of human behaviour – seeking status and respect – is frequently overlooked as a potential factor shaping states’ behaviour. The argument begins with a brief review of post-cold war Arctic politics followed by a discussion of the status-related literature in IR. Norway's position in the Arctic Council (AC) and in bilateral relations with Russia is then examined, with particular attention paid to the extent to which other Arctic states acknowledge and confirm Norway's status claims. Norway's status as an information provider, a convener and a bridge to Russia gives the country a degree of influence in Arctic multilateral settings. Given the Arctic region's relatively peaceful nature and the emphasis on circumpolar cooperation, space has been made for creative approaches to status. Size and military or economic greatness are not always decisive factors for taking a lead in today's Arctic politics.

Type
Research Article
Information
Polar Record , Volume 50 , Issue 1 , January 2014 , pp. 72 - 79
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2013 

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