SECURITY OF ARCTIC AND NORTHERN SEA ROUT: UK’S VIEW

Abstract

Against the background of Brexit, UK foreign policy-makers seriously consider the changes in international environment determined by emerging of new centers of power and high competition of global actors in Africa, Asia and Indo-Pacific. The designers of “Global Britain” concept - the new foreign policy strategy aimed at strengthening the UK position in the world after its exit from the European Union - take into consideration the climate changes which in the upcoming decades can lead to the geopolitical competition in Arctic. The latter comprises not only the hard power and ecology issues but the interest to get access to the Northern Sea Route and natural resources. The author analyzes the UK Arctic policy and concludes that the UK government ambition to perform as a leader in Arctic can become a long-term tendency which will determine the UK strategy towards Russia, China and the allies within NATO in the North Atlantic.