Sage Publications The Barents Region: Regional Cooperation in Arctic Europe: 10 (International Peace Research Institute, Oslo (PRIO))

The Barents Region in the Scandinavian and Russian Arctic is emerging as one of the most dynamic and versatile East-West initiatives in Europe. Its unique, two-pillared institutional structure ensures that the state as well as local authorities are drawn into deliberations, as are representatives from the European Commission and the regional Saami organization. The region is immensely rich in minerals, petroleum and fishery resources of interest for Europe as a whole. It is the apex of the Cold War structures: with over 200 naval nuclear reactors and with more strategic nuclear weapons than anywhere else in the world, its importance extends far beyond the confines of Arctic Europe. To Russia, the Barents Region has become a link to Northern Europe and potentially to the European Union, it may become an instrument to stabilise its eastern borders in a militarily sensitive area. The Barents Region surveys regional cooperation in Arctic Europe. With contributions from leading Scandinavian and Russian scholars on Northern affairs, this volume examines the Barents Region as a political initiative, its historical and institutional architecture and its contributions to economic and environmental management in the North. Particular attention is paid to the impact of the Barents Region on security in Arctic Europe and its relationship to the wider process of European integration. Review `Since the thawing of the Cold War international interactions in the Arctic have increased at a pace taking many by surpirse.... all of the 18 chapters are well informed and afford the reader many insights into the nature, purposes and prospects of what Stollenberg, in his short foreword, considers a possible model for post-Cold War East-West cooperation at the regional level.... All the chapters are informative and they hang together very effectively. Moreover, the editors′ admirably succinct overview chapter adds the finishing touches to a high-quality volume on a subject of obvious interest to all those interested in political, economic, environmental and strategic developments in the High North′ - Journal of Strategic Studies `Presents a heartening and authoritative picture of post-Cold War diplomacy and international cooperation.... a useful addition to the literature′ - Choice About the Author Olav Schram Stokke is Research Fellow and Director of Polar Studies at the Fridtjof Nanasen Institute, Norway. He is author of numerous monographs on international political economy, with a focus on regional cooperation and the management of natural resources and the environment. Ola Tunander is a Senior Research Fellow at the International Peace Research Institute, Oslo. He has written on history, political philosophy and military strategy, including Cold War Politics (SAGE 1989). he is a member of the editorial committees of the Journal of Peace Research and Internasjonal Politikk.