Military aspect of legal regulation in the Arctic

The Arctic is increasingly attracts attention of both the main regional players and the world's leading powers. European countries realize that development of an adequate Arctic strategy requires designing and implementing a wide range of political, legal, scientific, social, economic and military measures. There are a variety of views in expert circles on military security in the Arctic. Some experts predict future conflicts starting with regional arms races both between the Arctic states and between them and non-Arctic countries. The other one emphasizes that the Arctic tends to be one of the safest world's regions in terms of military security. The unresolved question of who owns the Arctic is among the main causes of the possible conflict in the region. The conclusion is based on the thesis of legal uncertainty of the Arctic marine areas and of the Arctic Ocean mineral resources status, as well as on unresolved disputes on the demarcation of maritime spaces and continental shelf.