Issue № 95. December 2022

International Regimes as a Factor of Interstate Bilateral Relations (the Case of Russia and Norway)

Matvei N. Chistikov
Research Intern, Centre for Comprehensive European and International Studies, National Research University Higher School of Economics, Moscow, Russian Federation.
E-mail: mchistikov@hse.ru 

Anna A. Shuranova
Head of the Youth Branch in Saint-Petersburg, Member of the Plenum, All-Russian Public Organization “Russian Association for the Advancement of Science”, Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation.
E-mail: ashuranova@hse.ru 
ORCID ID: 0000-0002-3001-8979

The issues related to the impact of international regimes on the development of interstate relations remain underexplored in the international relations theory. Despite the existence of theoretical works dedicated to the form and substance of this impact, the problem of its extent remains to be researched. The case of ocean governance regime in the Barents Sea between Russia and Norway is a good example of states from confronting blocs cooperating within the framework of one international regime. The principal method of this study is event analysis which enables us to trace the dynamics of relations between Russia and Norway. Another method is quantitative content analysis which gives an opportunity to determine the significance of the regime for the development of bilateral relations. The ocean governance regime in the Barents Sea, which emerged as a result of the Treaty between the Kingdom of Norway and the Russian Federation concerning Maritime Delimitation and Cooperation in the Barents Sea and the Arctic Ocean, has had a positive impact on bilateral relations between Russia and Norway, but did not determine their development. The regime’s impact has manifested itself in three forms. Firstly, the establishment of clear rules of ocean governance has led to the emergence of cooperation in a number of areas related to the regime in question. Secondly, the quantity and intensity of crises has decreased, which has diminished the risk of an armed conflict in the region. Thirdly, the Treaty became a positive precedent, having demonstrated the states’ ability to reach agreements on complex issues. Nevertheless, the impact of the international regime on the bilateral relations’ dynamics has a secondary role compared to the structural factors of the international system. In case of Russia-Norway relations, the structural impact was mostly transmitted through the crises of 2014 and 2022 connected with Ukraine.

Keywords

Russia, Norway, Barents Sea, international regimes, ocean governance, event analysis.

DOI: 10.24412/2070-1381-2022-95-175-191