Governing the Arctic: From Cold War Theater to Mosaic of Cooperation (Global INSIGHTS‪)‬

During the years since the waning of the Cold War, the Arctic has experienced a dramatic shift from the status of sensitive theater of operations for the deployment of strategic weapons systems to that of focal point for a range of initiatives involving transnational cooperation. These initiatives take a variety of forms. Some, like the establishment of the Arctic Environmental Protection Strategy (1991) and the creation of the Arctic Council (1996), involve straightforward intergovernmental agreements. Others, such as the construction of the Northern Forum (1991), feature leagues of subnational actors drawn together in pursuit of common interests that differ from those of national governments. Still others, like the founding of the Inuit Circumpolar Conference (1977), the development of the International Arctic Science Committee (1990), and the launching of the University of the Arctic (2001), take the form of nongovernmental arrangements designed to address specific Arctic issues and to convey a sense of the significance of these concerns to the world at large. How can we account for this flurry of regional initiatives in a world increasingly dominated by global processes? What does the future hold for transnational cooperation in the circumpolar Arctic, and does the experience of this region hold lessons for those interested in regionalism more generally? In answering these questions, this brief account seeks to (1) show how the mosaic of cooperative arrangements emerging in the Arctic differs from what mainstream accounts characterize as international regimes and (2) demonstrate the importance of regional responses to global issues.