The report is an analysis and assessment of the globalized Arctic with high political stability and keen international cooperation, as well as with environmental problems and growing global interest. The focus is Russia’s activities and interests in the Arctic, particularly in the Russian Arctic, and Russian policies in and dealing with the Arctic region. According to the report the Arctic region including the Russian Arctic faces both challenges and opportunities, and needs more transparent, predictable and consistent policies of Arctic states, and a kind of up-dated version of ‘new thinking’
Prof. Lassi Heininen, who was the leader of the research project, says that the report is politically very timely and academically relevant. “It is an alternative approach to the current situation of a constant fight against international terror and several regional wars, and a loud rhetoric full of mis- and disinformation, rumours and falsification.”
Behind is a growing concern that due to the recent crises, in which Arctic states are involved, the current era of high political stability of the Arctic, based on a keen international cooperation and much supported by non-state actors, may be lost. The international community, as well the Arctic region, is facing real world-wide challenges, like Ebola, impacts of unavoidable climate change, like loss of sea ice, and holistic environmental degradation, like long-range pollution, and corresponding structural societal problems of the global system, like growing inequality. According to Prof. Heininen “In this kind of environment, the human-built stability and peacefulness of the Arctic can, and should, be interpreted as a joint valuable asset by the eight Arctic states. It could act as an example for the rest of the world, as well as a test ground to examine innovative ways of governance, economic development and human security. Here Russia would, potentially, play an important role.”