The hidden pivot: power, infrastructure and ambivalence in the Arctic

Abstract

The Arctic occupies a marginal position in conventional cartography; however, it constitutes a strategic node within the international system. This article proposes to reconceptualise the region as an infrastructure through three key concepts: hybrid space, flows of power, and ambivalent equilibrium. Based on this framework, four dimensions are identified that have been systematically underdeveloped in the academic literature and are essential for understanding this space: epistemic power, invisible infrastructure, the Arctic as a laboratory of the emerging order, and actors without sovereignty. This framework is then applied to the study of the Svalbard cable incident to demonstrate its empirical validity. The analysis concludes with an exploration of the implications of Arctic dynamics for the international order, as well as a proposal for a multi-layered monitoring system in the region.

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