Gunnar Rekvig – författare

The Arctic has become a global arena. This development can only be comprehensively understood from a transdisciplinary perspective encompassing ecological, cultural, societal, economic, industrial, geopolitical, and security considerations. This book offers thorough explanations of Arctic developments and challenges. Global warming is in large part the driving force behind the transformation of the Arctic by making access possible to the areas previously out of reach for mining and shipping. An all-year ice-free Arctic Ocean, a reality possible as soon as perhaps 2030, creates a new dynamic in the North. The retreating ice edge enables the exploitation of previously inaccessible resources such as hydrocarbon deposits and rare metals, as well as the shortest sea route from Asia to Europe. Consequently, the Northern Sea Route (NSR) promises faster and cheaper shipping. Russia, along side foreign investment, especially from China, is financing the needed infrastructure. 

A warming Arctic, however, also has negative impacts. The Arctic is home to fragile ecosystems that are already showing signs of deteriorating. The Arctic has seen unprecedented wildfires, which, together with the release of trapped methane from the disappearing permafrost, will, in turn, accelerate global warming. A warmer Arctic Ocean will also negatively impact fisheries. Couple this with other global changes, such as ocean acidification and modified ocean currents, and the global outlook is bleak. Additionally, the security situation in the Arctic is worsening. After the 2014 Ukraine crisis, the West imposed sanctions on the Russian Federation, which have revived the divisions of the Cold War. The reemergence of these postures is threatening the highly successful Barents Cooperation and other initiatives for peace in the circumpolar North. This book offers new insights and presents arguments for how to mitigate the challenges the Arctic is facing today.

The third volume in the Global Arctic series examines the transformation of Arctic governance following the 2022 outbreak of war in Ukraine. This conflict has disrupted the post-Cold War cooperative circumpolar order, upending decades of multilateral collaborations.

The book traces the Arctic''s evolution from Cold War great power competition to a focus on human security and cooperation, highlighting the Arctic Council''s establishment and the growth of the "Arctic family" with non-Arctic actors. It explores how climate change became a key driver for Arctic (re)engagement, opening new opportunities and challenges.

The 2022 invasion of Ukraine has dramatically altered this landscape, ending the post-Cold War era of collaboration and ushering in the post-post-Cold War era, raising critical questions about regional cooperation, climate change mitigation, and global security.

This book brings together diverse expert perspectives to analyze the rapidly changing geopolitical dynamics of the Arctic. It explores the tension between collaboration needs and resurgent great power competition, offering valuable insights for policymakers, scholars, and students.

As global power dynamics shift and climate change threatens, understanding Arctic governance challenges becomes imperative. This book serves as an essential resource for navigating the complex Arctic political landscape and examining how new divisions are reshaping the region''s future.

This book offers a new analysis of the Nordic Peace after its onset in 1814, the year that marks the end to centuries of warfare between the Nordic countries, and the applicability of the Nordic solutions and principles for North East Asian conflicts. Through an analysis of three key post-1814 conflicts that the Nordic region resolved peacefully - the Union of Norway and Sweden (1814-1905), the issue on the duchies of Schleswig-Holstein between Denmark and Germany (1864-1920 & 1955), and the Aaland Islands problem between Finland and Sweden (1809-1922), the book examines how the solutions that underlie the Nordic Peace transcended causes for conflict, and if there is universal potential in the Nordic solutions for similar conflicts in North East Asia