Lecture9 TBArlov2018

SH-201TheHistoryofSvalbard 1

S H - 2 0 1 T H E H I S T O R Y O F S V A L B A R D

ThorBjørnArlov,NTNU&UNIS

9 Svalbard in national

and international politics: sovereignty

and strategy

Content of today’s lecture •  Fromnoman’slandtopartofNorway–  Terranullius:noman’sland–  TheSwedishinitiativetoannexSpitsbergen–  TheNorwegianquestforsovereignty–  TheSvalbardTreaty

•  Hotwar,coldwar,postwar–  SvalbardduringWorldWarII–  Svalbardintheshadowofthecoldwar–  ThestrategicimportanceofSvalbard

•  Howhasthelegal,politicalandstrategicsituationchangedovertime,andwhy?

1sthalf:

2ndhalf:

Problem:

Today’s Cultural Heritage Quiz

©ThorB.Arlov2015

Whatisthis?©SvalbardMuseum

Lecture9 TBArlov2018

SH-201TheHistoryofSvalbard 2

Terra nullius: No man’s land

•  Thelawofthesea:HugoGrotiusand”DeMareLibero”(1609)

•  ”KingJamesHisNewLand”(1613)•  Danish-Norwegianpretensions

1614–16•  Peacefulco-existenceafter1618•  Svalbardrecognizedasnoman’s

land•  Thenotionofaninternational

commons–  Jointresourceexploitationbymanyactors

–  Customarylaw,codesofbehaviour

An international Spitsbergen treaty?

•  TheSwedishinitiative1871–72•  Norwegianaspirationsinthe1890s•  Norway’sdivorcefromSwedenin

1905;anindependentforeignpolicy•  The”Spitsbergenquestion”:need

foranadministrativearrangement•  ThreeSpitsbergenconferences

1910–14•  The”smallsteps”policyofNorway•  WorldWarI:newopportunities•  TheSvalbardTreatyof9February

1920

The Treaty: Limited sovereignty?

•  §1:«Fullandabsolutesovereignty»•  §2:Equalrightstohuntingandfishing;

environmentalprotection•  §3:Equalrightsofaccessandto

«commercialactivities»•  §§4&5:Onradiostationsandscience•  §§6&7:Recognitionofpropertyrights•  §8:MiningCode;limitstotaxation•  §9:Peacefulutilization(non-

militarized)•  §10:SecuringRussianandothers’

rights

ü  Norwegiansovereigntyü  Equaltreatmentandnon-

discrimination

ü  Peacefulutilizationü  Rightsofcitizens,

notstates

Lecture9 TBArlov2018

SH-201TheHistoryofSvalbard 3

Svalbard between the world wars

•  WhyNorway?Or,whynot?•  Makingthebestofit:Norwegian

maneuvers1920–1925–  SecuringrelationstoGermanyandSovietRussia

–  TheMiningCode–  TheSpitsbergenCommissionerandarrangementofpropertyrights1925–27

•  1925:SpitsbergenbecomesSvalbard•  ”Bilateralization”:Soviet-Norwegian

relationsintheinter-warperiod

Kr.Sindballe A.Hoel

15 minutes break

World War II: a turning point

•  Svalbardandtheoutbreakofthewarin1940

•  EvacuationinAugust–September1941•  The”Fritham”expedition1942:

EstablishingaNorwegiangarrison•  The”weatherwar”:Svalbard’s

strategicsignificance•  TheGermanattackon8September

1943•  The”SpitsbergenCrisis”:TheSoviet

propositioninNovember1944andtheaftermath

V.Molotov T.Lie

Lecture9 TBArlov2018

SH-201TheHistoryofSvalbard 4

Svalbard in the squeeze

•  NorwegianNATOmembership1949,includingSvalbard1951

•  TheSovietNorthFleetbuild-upafter1962

•  Thelow-tensionpolicyofNorway•  Smallscalecrises:

–  Theairportissue1958–1975–  TheCaltex/Arktikugolissue1961–1965–  TheESROissue1964–1969

•  KappHeerandtheHopenaccident1978

•  Developmentoflocalrelations:Arcticglasnostinthe1980-90s,moretensionin2000s

New developments

•  Delimitationofthecontinentalshelves–  UNCLOS(1982):CommissionontheLimitsoftheContinentalShelf

•  BarentsSeadelimitationagreementbetweenRussiaandNorwayin2010

•  GlobalwarmingaffectstheArctic–  Newopportunitiesandthreats

•  IncreasedRussianactivityinthenorth;“new”nationspresentintheArctic–  IsSvalbardbecomingmoreexposed?

So, what about Svalbard?

•  UntilWorldWarII:noorlittlemilitarystrategicsignificance

•  TheColdWar:nucleararmstechnologyincreasedtheimportanceofthePolarSeaandArcticareas

•  TheTreatyandthelow-tensionpolicyhaveworkedreasonablywell

•  Svalbard’sstrategicimportancetoday:–  Environmentalresearchandmonitoring–  Ownershipandmanagementofresources

–  NewtransportroutesandSARcapabilities

Lecture9 TBArlov2018

SH-201TheHistoryofSvalbard 5

Cultural Heritage Quiz Solution

•  Partofa280mmgrenadefiredby«Scharnhorst»duringtheattackonSvalbard8Sep.1943

•  LandedinFardalenbutdidnotexplode.Demolishedin1985

Fardalen,Longyearbyen

Next (and last) time on HOS…

End of 9th lecture