The cases of Alaska and Svalbard as an example of Russian withdrawal from the concept of Arctic Exceptionalism after 22 February, 2022
The cases of Alaska and Svalbard as an example of Russian withdrawal from the concept of Arctic Exceptionalism after 22 February, 2022

Summary/Abstract: This article examines emerging claims in the Russian public sphere over US Alaska and challenging Norwegian sovereignty over Svalbard. Both cases are analysed in relation to the theoretical approach of the English school of international relations, assuming the functioning of an international society built on treaty provisions and the norms and principles of conduct, and values common to the members of that society. For this reason, the main part of the article focuses on the analysis of the treaty provisions and their implementation. On this basis, it was concluded that the rhetoric towards Alaska and Svalbard picked up by the Russian government indicates Russia’s departure from the norms and principles constituting the Arctic regime (the so-called exceptionalism) and the implementation in the High Northof foreign policy tools which, although typical for the Kremlin in other parts of the world, have not yet been applied in the Arctic.

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