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Sokolova F.H., Trufanova E.A. Specific entry: Political Processes and Institutions AnnotationThis article examines the outcomes of the Barents Euro-Arctic cooperation, particularly its cross-border dimension, analyzing both the declared and the actual interests of the participating actors and their consequences in the context of Russia’s national interests. The study is based on the concept of neoclassical realism. This approach allows for the examination of the formation and development of this multilateral format as the result of a combination of external conditions in the post-bipolar world and domestic political and economic transformations in Russia during the 1990s, and through the prism of the national interests of the member states. The study is based on official documents of the Barents Euro-Arctic Council, statistical materials from relevant institutions, and foreign policy documents of Nordic countries, primarily Norway as the initiator of the cooperation format. It is established that all participating states had an interest in developing the Barents Euro-Arctic cooperation. However, the officially declared goals and the actual objectives of the members of this framework differed significantly. The cooperation de facto narrowed to the humanitarian sphere. Alongside the positive results, there were obvious negative consequences for Russia’s national interests. This cooperation reduced international tensions in the region for several decades and made it possible to sustain the socio-cultural, scientific, and educational sectors in Russia’s northern regions during the country’s deepest crisis of the 1990s and early 2000s. However, the issue of ensuring Russia’s military security in the region was only postponed. The outcomes of this “soft power” influence manifested in the public consciousness of residents in Russia’s northern territories. The prestige and political influence of Russia globally and in the region declined substantially. Due to low solvency and a lack of capacity for proportional co-financing, Russia played a subordinate role in this format of multilateral international cooperation.About authors
Flera H. Sokolova, Dr. Sci. (Hist.), Professor
Elizaveta A. Trufanova, Research Assistant KeywordsBarents Euro-Arctic region, Barents cooperation, Russia, cross-border cooperation, neoclassical realism, national interests of the Barents Euro-Arctic cooperation statesUDC[94(470.1/.2)(48)"1990/2020":327](045)This work is licensed under a CC BY-SA License. |
