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Since Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014, Northern Europe has increasingly aligned its national defence arrangements with the United States and NATO. This contrasts with the Cold War period, when Sweden and Finland were neutral, and Norway and Denmark put self-imposed restraints on their NATO memberships. Providing Northern Europe with a stable "buffer" between East and West, this so-called Nordic balance kept the United States and Soviet Union at an arm's length. Since 2014 however, Northern Europe has de facto slid from "buffer" to "springboard" for US forces. This slide may counter Russian assertiveness, but there is also reason to argue that it may increase regional tension and unpredictability. If so, this may leave the entire region with less rather than more security. Using the case of Norway, it is argued that too close an alignment with NATO may have accelerated Norway's role as a "springboard" for US forces. This is because cost-intensive reforms needed to accommodate US expectations abroad have also exacerbated critical vulnerabilities at home. Increased dependency on US forces thereby makes difficult the balance between deterrence and restraint vis-à-vis Russia.

New uncertainties in international relations have presented several states in the West with important choices regarding their national strategies for the Arctic. This article analyzes security challenges in the Arctic and North Atlantic region, as understood by some key North-Atlantic states, namely: the USA, Canada, Denmark, Norway, the UK, Germany and France. By analyzing how, or to what degree, the colder east-west security landscape since 2014 is reflected in these selected North Atlantic states' Arctic security strategies, this article seeks to improve our understanding of how the security situation in the northernmost part of the world is developing and being understood. Through applying a traditional understanding of security, the article identifies similarities but also significant differences among the Arctic and North-Atlantic states. Most notable when comparing the strategies is the rather unique global perspective laid out in the US security strategy for the region. The British, Norwegian, Danish and Canadian perspectives, on the other hand, stand out as more regional in nature. Germany displays a rather low profile in its approach to international security in the Arctic, considering its economic status in Europe. France reveals a strong concern for Arctic shipping and freedom of navigation, a perspective similar to the USA's, but with less global ambition.

Most studies of Asian state involvement in Arctic affairs assume that shorter sea-lanes to Europe are a major driver of interest, so this article begins by examining the prominence of shipping concerns in Arctic policy statements made by major Asian states. Using a bottom-up approach, we consider the advantages of Arctic sea routes over the Suez and Panama alternatives in light of the political, bureaucratic and economic conditions surrounding shipping and shipbuilding in China, Japan and the Republic of Korea. Especially Japanese and Korean policy documents indicate soberness rather than optimism concerning Arctic sea routes, noting the remaining limitations and the need for in-depth feasibility studies. That policymakers show greater caution than analysts, links in with our second finding: in Japan and Korea, maritime-sector bureaucracies responsible for industries with Arctic experience have been closely involved in policy development, more so than in China. Thirdly, we find a clear tendency towards rising industry-level caution and restraint in all three countries, reflecting financial difficulties in several major companies as well as growing sensitivity to the economic and political risks associated with the Arctic routes. Finally, our examination of bilateral and multilateral Chinese, Japanese and Korean diplomatic activity concerning Arctic shipping exhibits a lower profile than indicated by earlier studies.

Copper is an ancient product that has persisted into the advanced industrial age. Its production methods and uses have been radically transformed several times, and it has played a central role in the building of the modern world economy. Despite this, it has been neglected by historians. For many years in early modern Europe Scandinavia was the biggest producer of copper, particularly through the large copper plants at Røros in Norway and in Falun in Sweden. This book tells the story. The amount of copper produced and traded is investigated, working conditions are discussed, the organisation of the companies is clarified, the active role of the state is emphasised, and the influence of the copper industry on local conditions is explored. The book gives copper an important place in European industrialisation more generally and shows that the Scandinavian copper industry was part of an extensive European copper network, which in turn was part of a global manufacturing and trading system. Through such connections, the Scandinavian copper industry was linked closely to the international and global history of copper, and therefore to colonialism, industrialisation, slavery and violence. - Kobber er et forhistorisk produkt som fortsatt produseres. Produksjonsmetodene og bruksområdene har blitt radikalt forandret mange ganger, og metallet stod sentralt i fremveksten av den moderne verdensøkonomien. I tidlig moderne tid var Skandinavia lenge den største produsenten av kobber i Europa, spesielt gjennom kobberanleggene i Falun i Sverige og på Røros i Norge. Likevel har metallet ofte blitt oversett. Denne boken forteller historien. Mengde kobber som ble produsert og solgt undersøkes, arbeidsforhold diskuteres, organiseringen av selskapene avklares, statens aktive rolle vektlegges, og kobberindustriens innflytelse på lokale forhold utforskes. Det vises at den skandinaviske kobberindustrien var en del av et stort europeisk kobbernettverk, som igjen var en del av et globalt produksjons- og handelssystem. Slik knyttes skandinavisk kobber tett til metallets internasjonale og globale historie: til europeisk industriutvikling, kolonialisme, slaveri og vold.