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
