Andreas Østhagen - Coast Guards and Ocean Politics in the Arctic

Cover illustration: John Rawsterne/patternhead.com

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This book is about coast guard, their role in the Arctic, and in ocean politics and resource management more generally. It is based on my years of writing about coast guards, from multiple projects at various institutions. This work started in 2014 at the Norwegian Institute for Defence Studies in Oslo, funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Defence. It continued at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver from 2015 to 2017, related to my doctoral thesis on maritime boundaries and maritime conflict, although this is only slightly related to that work. Finally, work on coast guards was concluded at the Fridtjof Nansen Institute in Oslo from 2017 to 2019, where various projects funded by the Ministry of Defence as well as the Norwegian Research Council enabled me to expand on the topic of coast guards in the Arctic.

This book is predominantly previously unpublished material, although it is also based on previously published articles and reports, albeit presented in a different way and with a new approach. Parts of Andreas sthagen. 2016. High North, Low Politics Maritime Cooperation with Russia in the Arctic. Arctic Review on Law and Politics 7 (1): 83100 and Andreas sthagen. 2018. Managing Conflict at Sea: The Case of Norway and Russia in the Svalbard Zone. Arctic Review on Law and Politics 9: 100123 are here used in Chapters .

This book and the work that it is based on, is only possible because public officials willingly take their time to meet and discuss the range of topics that this book covers. The different coast guard services, and especially the Norwegian Coast Guard, the Icelandic Coast Guard and the United States Coast Guard, have been very forthcoming with sharing of information and willingness to be interviewed. In addition, various foreign and defence ministries in the Arctic countries have also been ready to discuss these topics at length, for which I am very grateful.

There are also a number of people that deserve my acknowledgement and gratitude, having helped me to complete this book. The foundation for this book came through my position at the Norwegian Institute for Defence Studies in Oslo, starting already in 2014. Colleagues such as Paal Sigurd Hilde, Kristine Offerdal, Robin Allers, Hkon Lunde Saxi, Ingrid Lundestad, Ida Maria Oma, Roald Gjelsten, and Rolf Tamnes provided valuable perspectives and guidance. My supervisor at the University of British Columbia, Michael Byers, has also guided me through the intersection of international relations and international law. Further, my colleagues at the Fridtjof Nansen Institute, and especially Geir Hnneland, Svein Rottem, Arild Moe, ystein Jensen, and Anne-Kristin Jrgensen, have willingly shared their knowledge and experience helping this book take form.

Finally, I must thank my family and friends for their eagerness and support, every time I launch a new project. Especially my wife, Victoria, must endure longwinded discussions and explanations of recent projects. Without such support this would not be possible, and for that, I am truly grateful.