Reactive Power EU: Russian Aggression and the Development of an EU Arctic Policy Marianne RIDDERVOLD & Mai’a K. DAVIS CROSS * There are many factors driving the development of European Union (EU) foreign policy. While much of the literature focuses on how particular interests, norms or internal processes within Brussels institutions, this article sheds light on the role of external factors in shaping EU foreign policy through an in-depth examination of the recent development of EU Arctic policies. We find that increased Russian aggression, not least in Ukraine, is key to understanding why the EU recently has taken a strong interest in the Arctic. In a more insecure environment, Member States are more prone to develop common policies to counter other powers and gain more influence over future developments, especially as it relates to regime-formation in the Global Commons. In effect, the EU demonstrates a kind of reactive power when it comes to dealing with new geopolitical threats. 1 INTRODUCTION The Arctic is becoming a hotspot in international relations in more ways than one. With the ice melting, the prospects for strategically and economically important new sea lines and untapped natural resources is creating a race among states for territorial control or access. 1 Russia is making territorial claims, China demands access and a seat at the table, while the USA, Canada and several European states – some of which border the Arctic – are struggling to find ways to deal with this new and rapidly changing reality. From a policy perspective, there are two main options for managing the Arctic high seas: territorial control by a few Riddervold, Marianne & Davis Cross, Mai’a K. ‘Reactive Power EU: Russian Aggression and the Development of an EU Arctic Policy’. European Foreign Affairs Review 24, no. 1 (2019): 43–60. © 2019 Kluwer Law International BV, The Netherlands * Marianne Riddervold is professor in Political Science at the Norway Inland University of Applied Sciences, Senior Fellow at the UC Berkeley Institute of European Studies and a guest researcher at NUPI – The Norwegian Institute of International Affairs. Mai’a K. Davis Cross is Edward W. Brooke Professor of Political Science and Associate Professor at Northeastern University. The authors would like to thank their informants for sharing their knowledge on the EU Arctic policymaking process. A previous version of this article was presented at The twenty-third International Conference of Europeanists, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, 14/4-16/4 2016. Thanks to the panel participants for helpful comments and suggestions. Thank you also to Christopher LaGrutta for his great assistance with the manuscript. Emails: marianne.riddervold@inn.no; m.cross@northeastern.edu. 1 K. J. Battarbee & J. E. Fossum, The Arctic Contested (P.I.E. Lang 2014); B. Germond, The Maritime Dimensions of European Security: Seapower and the European Union (Palgrave Macmillan 2015); H. Haftendorn, NATO and The Arctic: Is the Atlantic Alliance a Cold War Relic in a Peaceful Region Now Faced with Non-Military Challenges?, 20(3) Eur. Sec. 337–361 (2011); R. Huebert et al., Climate Change & International Security: The Arctic as a Bellwether (Center for Climate and Energy Solutions 2012).