Newsletter An Uncertain Time
It's getting closer to Christmas in Bodø, Northern Norway. (Photo: Trine Jonassen)
Dear reader. The final weeks before Christmas are colored by increased militarization and uncertainty regarding the Norwegian-Russian fisheries negotiations. Yet, underneath all this, important research is still taking place and you can read about it at High North News. Here is the latest news from the North.
One of the most important things taking place in our High North this week is the annual fisheries negotiations between Norway and Russia. This year, the negotiations were severely postponed due to disagreement after sanctions against two Russian shipping companies.
The meeting between the parties is currently in progress, although digitally, to negotiate about the important stocks in the Barents Sea. We will follow up on the matter.
The Arctic is still characterized by security and defense. This is the new normal.
All of the Nordic countries were recently officially placed under the responsibility of NATO's High North-focused command, JFC Norfolk.
Norway and the UK have signed an extensive defense agreement, and the Norwegian government has made a deal to buy two additional submarines from Germany to patrol the High North.
At the same time, a dramatic battle is taking place within the EU about the continued funding of Ukraine's defense against an increasingly aggressive Russia.
“However, this is not just about money, but largely also about the voters' continued trust in their leaders”, says commentator Arne O. Holm.
The Trump administration’s 2025 National Security Strategy omits a dedicated Arctic section, unlike its 2022 predecessor from Joe Biden.
In Norway, the peace prize winner Maria Corina Machado was met with protests instead of a peace walk, when she finally arrived to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.
"One of the reasons is her close ties to Donald Trump. This opens up for endless protests across Europe," writes Holm. (Norwegian only)
And finally, in our Arctic Scientist Profile series, meet Stig Andreas Johannessen (30), Stig Andreas Johannessen (30), who was the first to defend a dissertation in Arctic Security in Svalbard. He has researched how Longyearbyen manages climate-related risks while simultaneously experiencing how climate change impacts the island himself.
If you have ideas for a scientist profile, be it yourself or someone else, contact Science Journalist Birgitte Annie Hansen via email.
Soon, we will be entering the final work week before Christmas. Thank you for following High North News, and feel free to share the newsletter with other interested parties.
Arctic greetings from Editor-in-Chief Trine Jonassen