Logo: to the web site of the Swedish Defence University

The Arctic is today an area of opportunities when it comes to science, new international trade routes and exploration of natural resources among other things. It is also an area of potential conflict about who has the right to the natural resources. All the littoral states in the area are backing up their sovereignty claims with increasing military presence. Russia stands out as the country with the most ambitious arctic policy. In the light of the Ukraine conflict and the resulting worsening international relations between Russia and the west, the purpose of this study is to contribute to the situational awareness when it comes to how the security situation in the Arctic is developing. Since Sweden is an Arctic state, the development in the Arctic will have an impact on Swedish security policy and the Swedish defence forces. The study focuses on the Swedish public debate and aims to identify trends of development within military, economic and political security. The main conclusion is that the security situation in the Arctic, within the limits of this study, is moving towards securitizing and increased risk of conflict. This is to some degree linked to the events in Ukraine because of the economic sanctions that USA and the EU put on Russia, and also because Russian actions in the Ukraine have increased the western countries perception of Russia as a military threat. The study also shows an increasing connection between development in the Arctic and other parts of the world.