ABSTRACT
Maintaining Security and Stability in the Arctic – Cole Keehner
Human activity in the Arctic is increasing and has large implications for the security and stability in the region. The decisions made by the Arctic States, outside states, businesses, and international organizations will change the Arctic forever. Currently the situation is stable but this can rapidly change and the Arctic is at risk of becoming an arena of competition and spill over from conflicts elsewhere. The opportunity exists for a renewed commitment to human security, cooperation, and trust as the Arctic enters into a new century. This will require decision makers to challenge assumptions and seek creative solutions and compromises. The best path forward involves a combination of reforming the Arctic Council and protecting its role as a space for traditional competitors to find common ground in a vulnerable region, strengthen existing agreements like UNCLOS, and prepare contingency and develop strategies for action in the rapidly changing circumstances through partnerships like the NATO.
OVERVIEW, HISTORY, AND DEFINITION OF THE ISSUE During the Cold War, the Arctic Ocean and lands in the circumpolar north had strategic importance between the democratic West and the communist East. The Arctic was characterized by the deployment of strategic nuclear weapons and warhead carrying submarines. This militarized character of the Arctic changed after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and the region entered into a period characterized by cooperation, scientific research, protection of indigenous rights, and relatively modest resource extraction and
52
JOURNAL of the MARTIN INSTITUTE | INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
