The Russian settlements on Spitsbergen – history, current socio-economic status and challenges for the future development

Spitsbergen is distinct compared with other Arctic archipelagos, especially regarding its the political and socio-economic status. Despite the Spitsbergen Treaty1, which was signed 100 years ago, the territory is commonly perceived as part of Norway. All the more, the Russian settlements have a particular position on Spitsbergen. The article is introduced by a short historical review, drawing attention also to the different opinions related to the discovery history. In the following, this paper strives to present a deeper dive into the current socio-economic status of today's Russian community on Spitsbergen. The analysis was created from questionnaires worked out by the inhabitants of the two Russian settlements Barentsburg and Pyramiden as well as from interviews with executives of different sectors. Derived from this, factors which could influence the upcoming development of the settlements were formulated.

Die Wissenschaft als Wegbegleiterin zur Umsetzung der Leitlinien Deutscher Arktispolitik

On 21 August 2019 the German Federal Cabinet stipulated its New Arctic Policy Guidelines. Science is an integral part of this political document according to which scientific findings shall be the starting point of the German activities in the Arctic. The present article argues that an independent “German” Arctic policy can only be successfully shaped by taking scientific knowledge into consideration. In order to investigate the role of science in German Arctic policy different governmental documents have been analyzed, notably the New German Arctic Policy Guidelines. First of all, the article discusses why Germany as a Non-Arctic riparian state is pursuing its own Arctic policy. For this purpose, it considers the main reasons which have caused Germany to exert an influence on the Arctic. These include strategic, economic, ecologic and especially research-oriented interests. Concerning the implementation of the goals of the New Arctic Policy Guidelines the knowledge transfer between science and politics is of special significance. The article describes how science contributes to political decisions by generating explanation models, different approaches to solutions or by issuing recommendations. In order to tackle the multi-layered and complex structured goals of the German Arctic Guidelines politics need to take into account research and science to remain capable of acting. Thus, science is indispensable for the realisation of the German Arctic Policy goals. Finally, the article points out that the traditional polar research system is shifting from a traditional natural scientific-based orientation to a more inclusive and broad-ranging orientation. It shows how diverse academic disciplines scientifically deal with questions regarding the Arctic. Here, the article argues that the traditional natural scientific-based orientation of polar science is outdated whereas a demand for interdisciplinary Arctic polar science has emerged. By looking at the project “Marine Conservation in the Arctic” the article illustrates how these different academic fields can successfully be merged.