Dissertation
International Law and Governance of the Arctic in an Era of Climate Change
On 15 February 2024, Alexandros Sarris defended the thesis 'International Law and Governance of the Arctic in an Era of Climate Change'. The doctoral research was supervised by Nico Schrijver and Freya Baetens.
- Author
- Alexandros Sarris
- Date
- 15 February 2024
- Links
- International Law and Governance of the Arctic in an Era of Climate Change
The far-reaching invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation on 24 February 2022 poses the greatest threat to international peace and security in Europe since the end of World War II. The unjustified attack also impacts the relations between Russia and other Arctic nations, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, Denmark, Canada, and the United States of America (USA), all of which are members of the European Union (EU) or the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), or both. This Thesis is focused on analyzing the existing legal framework in the Arctic with special focus on the Governance and the Indigenous people inhabiting in the region. In this respect it will be discussed that there will still be some role for the Arctic Council (AC) as a forum for the Arctic cooperation, but that the future of international cooperation for governance in the Arctic will be a future that is very different from the experience of the last three decades. There is extensive analysis of the legal framework, the need for a comprehensive and efficient Arctic Governance Regime based on International Law and the main principles and purposes of the UN Charter.