Buildup of Russian military forces in the Arctic from 2008 to 2022: geopolitical stage for Russian strategy in the 21st century

• Grant number: 22/16657-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Start date: June 01, 2023
• Status: Discontinued
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Political Science - International Politics
• Principal Investigator: Héctor Luis Saint-Pierre
• Grantee: Getúlio Alves de Almeida Neto
• Host Institution: Instituto de Políticas Públicas e Relações Internacionais (IPPRI). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de São Paulo. São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated scholarship(s): 24/21781-5 - Buildup of Russian military forces in the Arctic from 2008 to 2024: Geopolitical stage for Russian strategy in the 21st century, BE.EP.DR

Abstract

The object of this research is Russia's military buildup in the Arctic between 2008 and 2022. We intend to understand the relationship between this movement and Russian foreign policy in the 21st century. We start from the assumption that the main goal of Russian foreign policy is to reclaim Moscow's status as a great international power and it uses its military force, directly and indirectly, to achieve its geopolitical and security objectives. In this context, the estimates of large quantities of oil and natural gas reserves in the Arctic, as well as the perspectives that foresee the possibility of using the Arctic Ocean as a trade route due to the polar melting in the medium and long term, make this region even more important for the Russian state. While in other areas of interest, such as post-Soviet space, Russia presents a more reactive and bellicose foreign policy, in the Arctic it has shown itself to be more active and cooperative. We listed three hypotheses. The first is that Russian interests are defined in terms of hard power, and there is an inextricability between economic and security aspects in the Arctic. The second hypothesis is that the Kremlin privileges the security aspect before the possibility of regional cooperation. Finally, the third hypothesis is that the Arctic is seen by the Russian government as a region that enhances its claim to great power status, being a geopolitical stage in which the country finds itself in a strategic advantage to promote itself as the main articulator of a regional governance in the midst of other powers. We propose a qualitative analysis through bibliographic and documentary research.