COOPERATION: Navigating the Future of Cooperation in the Arctic

commerce, connectivity, communities, cooperation, and competition. It became clear that how effectively the United States, and indeed all Arctic and non-Arctic nations, navigate these Cs would determine the future of the Arctic. Individually they capture key areas for further policy discussion and implementation. In aggregate, they create an integrated group of seven “buckets” that can inform and influence policymakers in the United States and abroad.

I realized the framework could also be a foundation to communicate the importance of the Arctic region to the general public—a critical component of public policy work. To be effective, frameworks require utility, details, and context. The framework I was developing also needed to be memorable because the issues of the Arctic are competing for attention with all the other pressing global issues and hotspots. As such, the framework needed an “elevator pitch.” As most individuals are familiar with some variation of the term “navigating the seven seas” in a nautical context, it seemed fitting to apply the term to this new framework. Hence, “Navigating the Arctic’s 7 Cs” was created.

Yet a framework without substance is of no value. Over the better part of three years, I refined presentations and keynote speeches using the 7Cs framework. At times, these presentations provided a broad perspective of the Arctic, while others dug deep into one or more of the key components of the framework. Still other programs and presentations used the concept as a foundation upon which other Arctic-related themes were explored. The utility of the framework for me and, more importantly, for other scholars and policy experts became clear.

As a natural progression from this effort, and at the urging of colleagues at the Wilson Center and elsewhere, I began work on this monograph. The following seven chapters reflect the expertise, insights, and perspectives of nine colleagues utilizing the 7Cs framework in a manner of their choosing. Some authors decided to explore the Arctic in a global context. Others present local, regional, U.S. domestic, or circumpolar ideas, insights, and concepts.