Introduction: Circumpolar Dimensions of the Governance of the Arctic

Abstract

The Arctic has, for some 40 years, been among the most creative political regions and innovative policy environments in the world. The region has developed impressive systems for intra-regional cooperation, responded to the challenges of the rapid environmental changes, empowered and engaged with Indigenous peoples and dealt with the multiple challenges of natural resource development. Politics in the Arctic reflect a unique blend of Indigenous mobilization, the active engagement of non-Indigenous residents, and the complex interplay of national politics, international engagement and the interests of powerful southern and global interests, including resource companies, non-governmental organizations and non-Arctic nations seeking to carve out a role for themselves in the decision-making related to the future of the Far North. The Palgrave Handbook on Arctic Policy has drawn on scholars from many countries and academic disciplines to focus on the central theme of Arctic policy innovation. The portrait that emerges from these papers is of a complex, fluid policy and political environment shaped by internal, national and global dynamics and by a wide range of political, legal, economic and social transitions. Effective, proactive and forward-looking policy innovation will be required if the Far North is to be able to address its challenges. The collection reveals the creativity of the Arctic and the region’s determination to create its own future in a world previously defined by global economic interests and national preoccupations.