ASSESSMENT OF OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF ARCTIC COMMUNICATIONS IN THE AREA OF THE NORTHERN SEA ROUTE

• Published in: Север и рынок: формирование экономического порядка
• Main Author: Medeya V. Ivanova
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English; Russian
• Published: The Russian Academy of Sciences, Federal Research Centre Kola Science Centre 2021
• Subjects: arctic; northern sea route; state policy; shipping; Social Sciences; H; Arctic; Northern Sea Route
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.37614/2220-802X.2.2021.72.003; https://doaj.org/article/e04716bbbf0a4dcbbd63b6393077b951

New plans for the development of the Russian Arctic caused certain reactions from both the external and internal environment. In March 2018, the President of the country announced new guidelines for the development of the Northern Sea Route (NSR). The documents for the strategic development of the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation were asserted. One of the main directions in these documents is the development of the NSR as a competitive national transport means of communication of the Russian Federation on the world market. As a part of the research, the political and economic aspects of the external environment were studied, which affect the development and functioning of Arctic communications in the water area of the NSR. The informational basis was provided by expert assessments of scientists and politicians, as well as by publications of news outlets and experts’ interviews. The specificity of the institutional legal field of the NSR is considered. The article reveals the phenomena of “Arctic dualism” caused by the clash of national and international law, when changes in the national legal field lead to a response from other Arctic states and an increase in political risks related to increased competition. The main business trends in the development of the NSR were also identified. The period considered in the article is characterized by the strengthening of the domestic economic policy of Russia, which is aimed at enhancing business processes in the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation. At the same time, the considered trends within the external environment indicate a number of restrictions for the use of the NSR as an international transit highway. The processes considered indicate that in the near future, the use of the NSR can only be considered in the context of meeting the industrial needs of the Arctic business.