Explaining Cooperation and Conflict in Marine Boundary Disputes Involving Energy Deposits

In 2010 Russia and Norway signed a treaty that ended a 40-year dispute by dividing territory in the Barents Sea. Why did this case end in a cooperative agreement rather than continue an on-going dispute? This article examines a number of possible explanations at the international, bilateral, and domestic politics levels to answer this question. Ultimately, it concludes that the 2010 Norway-Russia boundary delimitation agreement succeeded because both sides had a strong economic interest in it, benefitted from the use of international law, had a history of working together at the bilateral level, and were able to manage adroitly the impact of business-state relations and identity politics on the issue.