Research On The Evolution And Influence Of Sweden’s Arctic Strategy Since The 21st Century

The intensification of global warming since the 21 st century has led to the rapid melting of glaciers in the Arctic region.The reduction of the ice layer has led to the convenient exploitation of the region’s rich natural resources and the rapid prosperity of the Arctic commercial shipping industry which allows ships to pass through.In addition to the advantageous geographical location of the intersection among two oceans and three continents,the Arctic region is attracting more and more countries to gather here because of its natural resources,shipping value and most importantly geopolitical value.That is,as a “threat multiplier”,the climate warming enhances the geopolitical importance of the Arctic region by acting on the resources and shipping values,ultimately attracting competitions among great powers for resources,economies and securities.Sweden was the first country in the wave of Nordic countries collectively publishing new Arctic policies around 2020,as it first deeply felt the “new changes” in the Arctic region.Unlike the first edition of the Arctic Strategy in 2011,Sweden no longer vigorously stated its identity as an Arctic country or demonstrated the legitimacy and justification of its Arctic policy in the newly released Arctic Strategy in November2022.Instead,Sweden directly faced the most sensitive issues of securities in the Arctic,which are closely related to the regional increasingly tense security situations nowadays and the strategic competition or cooperation among the United States,Russia and China at the global level.In the new Arctic Strategy Report,Sweden successively emphasizes the importance of international cooperation,regional security and stability,climate and environment,polar research and environmental monitoring,sustainable economic development and ensuring good living conditions for residents;Sweden reassessed the geopolitical security risks of the Arctic,adjusted or added attitudes and positions towards the United States,Russia and China;facing the future,Sweden’s strategic objectives in the Arctic region mainly include protecting the ecological environment of the Arctic,promoting sustainable development of the Arctic,maintaining peace and stability in the Arctic and ensuring the living conditions of indigenous peoples.The Russia-Ukraine Conflict broke out in February 2022,which greatly changed the threat perceptions of all Nordic countries to Russia including Sweden.From the government report on the Russia-Ukraine Conflict published by Sweden and the more intuitive application for NATO membership,these can be seen that Sweden’s Arctic strategy has undergone a fundamental turn under the impact of Russian military acts,and the security pressure in the Arctic-Nordic region has further increased;the growing negative threat perceptions of small countries and their bandwagoning behaviors towards the strong military partner namely the United States have led to the collapse of the already fragile Nordic-Russia relationships in turn.For China,China’s response can be to analyze the costs and benefits of cooperating with China from the perspective of Sweden’s national interests.That is,cooperating with China will yield tangible benefits,on the contrary,decoupling from China will let Sweden itself miss great opportunities for development.We believe that China’s cooperation with Sweden and other Nordic Countries can be achieved under the guidance of the principle of mutual benefit and win-win situations.