This research examines the continuing dispute in the area of the Barents Sea involving Norway and the Soviet Union. The Barents Sea lies south of the Arctic Ocean (generally south of the 75th parallel of north latitude), east of the North Cape in Norway (generally east of the 30th parallel of east longi tude), west of Novaya Zemlya island group, which is a part of the Soviet Union (generally west of the 50th parallel of east longitude), and north of the North European land mass (gener ally north of the 68th parallel of north latitude).
Most of the Barents Sea lies north of the Soviet land mass, as opposed to the Norwegian land mass. The issue of sovereignty is complicated, however; (1) by island groups along the northern edge of the Barents Sea, some of which are partsof Norway, and others of which are parts of the Soviet Union; (2) by rich resources both fish and petroleum in the area; and (3) by the strategic importance of the area (from Murmansk, the Barents Sea provides primary access routes for the Soviet navy to the Atlantic Ocean, because that part of the Barents Sea north of the Kola Peninsula in the Soviet Union, and north of Norway is free from pack ice on a year around basis).
As Norway is a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organi zation (NATO), the dispute between that country and the Soviet
1 2Union with respect to the Barents Sea becomes embroiled in the east west controversy, whether or not that is the desire of either of the two countries most immediately involved. This concern is all the greater for NATO, because the Norwegian area bordering on the Barents Sea is much less densely populated than is the Soviet region around Murmansk.
Three books dealing with the Barents Sea dispute between Norway and the Soviet Union serve as the basis for this exami nation. These books are (1) Soviet Oil and Security Interests in the Barents Sea, by H. O. Bergesen, (2) The Military Buildup in the High North: A...