GEOSEAS

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The Geopolitics and Geoeconomics of Maritime Spatial Disputes in the Arctic

GEOSEAS is led by the Fridtjof Nansen Institute under the direction of project leader – and TAI Senior Fellow – Andreas Østhagen, co-hosted by The Arctic Institute and Oslo New University College. GEOSEAS “argue[s] that to understand geopolitical challenges in a changing Arctic, we need to understand the dynamics of emerging spatial disputes over maritime space and related marine resources. The past decade’s rapid technological changes and the growing preoccupation of states with maritime space are prompting a rethink of how we view conflicts and dispute management atsea. Nowhere is this more evident than in the Arctic. Examples include overlapping continental-shelf claims, marine protected areas, the status of Arctic sea lanes, and the distribution of transboundary fish stocks. However, research on maritime disputes tends to be case-oriented and is rarely seen in relation to inter-state conflicts, international law and political geography. Moreover, maritime disputes have often been dismissed as peripheral in the conflict literature or treated on a par with disputes on land. What determines the emergence and evolution of disputes over marine resources and maritime space in the Arctic? What factors prompt changes in these dynamics? What can this tell us about conflict management and resolution more generally in the maritime domain? In this project we examine disputes within several jurisdictional areas of coastal-state ocean space: exclusive economic zones, continental shelves and the high sea. Combining various branches of social studies – international relations, international law, political geography and conflict studies – we take an innovative approach to explaining the geopolitical and geoeconomic dimensions of emerging maritime disputes among Arctic states.”

The Arctic Institute GEOSEAS

• The Nuances of Geopolitics in the Arctic
• “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly” – Three Levels of Arctic Geopolitics
• Small and Non-Aligned: Sweden’s Strategic Posture in the Arctic (Part I)
• Why do we need a shared Pan-Arctic Fisheries Governance Complex?
• Fisheries Disputes: The Real Potential for Arctic Conflict
• The Legal Implications of the 2022 Canada-Denmark/Greenland Agreement on Hans Island (Tartupaluk) for the Inuit Peoples of Greenland and Nunavut

Moreover, TAI Fellows have also produced two more publications – as of November 2022 – published outside The Arctic Institute:

• How a Chinese Sailboat became a microcosm for Arctic Geopolitics
• Great Power Competition Is Coming for the Arctic. NATO Should Prepare