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On Thin Ice: A Discourse Analysis on Cooperation in the Arctic Council following the Russian Invasion of Ukraine in 2022

Norlander, Ida LU and Öhman, Clara LU (2026) FKVA23 20252
Department of Political Science
Abstract
The Arctic Council has long been portrayed as an arena for stable and depoliticized cooperation, often referred to as exemplifying the idea of Arctic exceptionalism. Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and the following pause in cooperation, did however raise questions about the resilience of the cooperation in the council. This paper presents a discourse analysis of ministerial meeting statements delivered within the Arctic Council in 2021 and 2025. The material consists of official statements from all eight member states, covering the periods before and after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. By applying a theoretical framework combining security communities and securitization theory, the paper examines how cooperation,... (More)
The Arctic Council has long been portrayed as an arena for stable and depoliticized cooperation, often referred to as exemplifying the idea of Arctic exceptionalism. Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and the following pause in cooperation, did however raise questions about the resilience of the cooperation in the council. This paper presents a discourse analysis of ministerial meeting statements delivered within the Arctic Council in 2021 and 2025. The material consists of official statements from all eight member states, covering the periods before and after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. By applying a theoretical framework combining security communities and securitization theory, the paper examines how cooperation, threats and referent objects are discursively constructed, and how these constructions change in a context of heightened geopolitical tension. The paper concludes that Arctic cooperation has not collapsed, but has been discursively transformed, indicating a weakening of Arctic exceptionalism and a security community operating under increased strain. (Less)
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author
Norlander, Ida LU and Öhman, Clara LU
supervisor
organization
course
FKVA23 20252
year
type
L2 - 2nd term paper (old degree order)
subject
keywords
Arctic Council, Cooperation, Security, Arctic exceptionalism, Russia-Ukraine, Discourse, Security community, Securitization
language
English
id
9218193
date added to LUP
2026-04-10 14:44:57
date last changed
2026-04-10 14:44:57
@misc{9218193,
  abstract     = {{The Arctic Council has long been portrayed as an arena for stable and depoliticized cooperation, often referred to as exemplifying the idea of Arctic exceptionalism. Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and the following pause in cooperation, did however raise questions about the resilience of the cooperation in the council. This paper presents a discourse analysis of ministerial meeting statements delivered within the Arctic Council in 2021 and 2025. The material consists of official statements from all eight member states, covering the periods before and after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. By applying a theoretical framework combining security communities and securitization theory, the paper examines how cooperation, threats and referent objects are discursively constructed, and how these constructions change in a context of heightened geopolitical tension. The paper concludes that Arctic cooperation has not collapsed, but has been discursively transformed, indicating a weakening of Arctic exceptionalism and a security community operating under increased strain.}},
  author       = {{Norlander, Ida and Öhman, Clara}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{On Thin Ice: A Discourse Analysis on Cooperation in the Arctic Council following the Russian Invasion of Ukraine in 2022}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}