Why do the US and EU Arctic policies converge? An Arctic perspective on the liberal world order
Author
Ramirez Simon, Carolina Maria
Term
4. term
Publication year
2023
Submitted on
2023-10-15
Abstract
This thesis examines why U.S. and EU Arctic policies converge, set against debates about the possible erosion of “Arctic exceptionalism” following the Ukraine crises and intensifying great‑power rivalry. Framed by the broader shift from a post‑Cold War unipolar order toward growing multipolarity and the securitization of the Arctic, it situates both actors’ policies along a continuum from cooperation (e.g., the Ilulissat Declaration and Arctic Council practices) to partial militarization, sanctions, and strategic competition. Methodologically, the study conducts a document‑based, qualitative policy analysis of key strategy texts (including the U.S. National Strategy for the Arctic Region and the European Commission’s Joint Communication) and interprets them through (neo)liberal institutionalism, structural liberalism, complex interdependence, and regime theory (drawing on Keohane and Nye and Byers). The analysis aims to identify where and why U.S. and EU priorities align or diverge, and how institutions, legal regimes (such as UNCLOS), and mutual interdependence may sustain cooperation in some sectors (e.g., search and rescue, fisheries, navigation) even as security competition rises elsewhere. As this excerpt covers the introduction and framing, no final results are presented; the contribution lies in offering an Arctic lens on the resilience of the liberal international order by linking concrete policy documents to liberal theories of cooperation and institutions.
Dette speciale undersøger, hvorfor USA’s og EU’s Arktis‑politikker konvergerer, set i lyset af debatten om det muligvis svækkede “arktiske ekseptionalisme” efter Ukraine‑kriserne og tiltagende stormagtsrivalisering. Med udgangspunkt i den aktuelle verdensorden – fra post‑unipolær usikkerhed til gradvis multipolaritet og en øget sikkerhedslig opmærksomhed mod Arktis – placerer specialet de to aktørers politikker i den bredere udvikling fra samarbejde (fx Ilulissat‑erklæringen og Arktisk Råds praksis) til delvis militarisering, sanktioner og strategisk konkurrence. Metodisk gennemfører specialet en dokumentbaseret, kvalitativ policyanalyse af centrale strategipapirer (bl.a. USA’s National Strategy for the Arctic Region og Europa‑Kommissionens fælles meddelelse) og fortolker dem gennem (neo)liberal institutionalisme, strukturel liberalisme, kompleks interdependens og regimeteori (med inspiration fra Keohane og Nye samt Byers). Analysen sigter mod at identificere, hvor og hvorfor amerikanske og europæiske prioriteringer overlapper eller afviger, og hvordan institutioner, folkeretlige rammer (fx UNCLOS) og gensidig afhængighed kan understøtte fortsat samarbejde i nogle sektorer (fx søredning, fiskeri, skibsfart) samtidig med øget sikkerhedspolitisk spænding i andre. Da dette uddrag kun dækker indledning og rammesætning, præsenteres der endnu ingen endelige fund; bidraget består i at tilbyde et arktisk perspektiv på den liberale verdensordens robusthed ved at koble konkrete politikker til liberale teorier om samarbejde og institutioner.
[This apstract has been generated with the help of AI directly from the project full text]