In the far northwestern corner of Russia lies the Barents Sea: a rich region of natural resources that has yet to be fully exploited. Future actions taken in Barents will create major environmental, political, and economic ripples around the globe. Big Oil Playground, Russian Bear Preserve or European Periphery? explores three plausible and thought-provoking scenarios for the region's future over the next two decades.

The volume considers whether the international energy industry will transform Barents into a "big oil playground," if environmental protection rules will make it a "Russian bear preserve," or if integration into world trade will put it on the "European periphery." The result is a valuable resource for understanding the changing dynamics and challenges in modern public planning and a globalized economy.

Bjørn Brunstad is a scenario methodology advisor at and Eivind Magnus is a senior economist and vice-president of ECON Analysis. Philip Swanson is a partner in ECON Analysis specializing in development issues. Geir Hønneland is director of the Russian and Polar Programme at the Fridtjof Nansen Institute in Norway. Indra øverland is a senior research fellow at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs.