Abstract
The presented conference paper is devoted to the geopolitical and geostrategic significance of the Arctic region, specifically demonstrated above all in the specific region of the so-called GIUK Gap. In addition to the necessary theory of neorealism according to Stephen M.
Walt, the contribution also contains a section devoted to the historical development of the geopolitical and geostrategic significance of the GIUK Gap, but above all an analysis of the current geopolitical and geostrategic significance of the aforementioned specific area of the North Atlantic. The analysis of the current geopolitical situation is written with an emphasis on the increasing importance of this area for NATO and the Russian Federation, whose interests have clashed more and more frequently in recent years, not only in this region.
The aim of the paper is to point out the causal relationship between the generally deteriorating relations between NATO and the Russian Federation after the annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the growing importance of the GIUK Gap. In the second part of the paper, the author will focus on the currently ongoing research on the geopolitical significance of the Arctic region as a whole, the preliminary conclusions that can be made based on this research, as well as the problems he encounters during his research.