The Arctic Five are the five littoral states bordering the Arctic Ocean : Canada , The Kingdom of Denmark (through Greenland and the Faroese Islands), Norway , The Russia Federation and the United States of America.
77-634: Competing narratives exist regarding international governance of the Arctic . There is debate over whether the principal actors should be the Arctic Five, the Arctic Council (the Arctic Five plus Finland, Iceland and Sweden) or a larger group of states. In 2008, the Arctic Five concluded the Ilulissat Declaration causing concern among those not invited. The Arctic Council is perhaps the most important of
154-523: A Search & Rescue agreement, the Arctic Council's first law-bound treaty. At the Arctic Council ministerial meeting on April 24, 2015, a Task Force on Arctic Marine Cooperation was created to consider future needs for cooperation on Arctic marine issues. Conference of Parliamentarians of the Arctic Region (CPAR) is a parliamentary body comprising delegations appointed by the national parliaments of
231-581: A large part in Arctic policy. Also important are intergovernmental bodies such as the United Nations (especially as relates to the Law of the Sea Treaty ) and NATO . Though Arctic policy priorities differ, every Arctic state is concerned about sovereignty and defense, resource development, shipping routes, and environmental protection. Though several boundary and resource disputes in the Arctic remain unsolved, there
308-509: A new "Polar Silk Road" with collaboration with Finland, and since 2015 China has deployed surface naval forces in the Nordic waters. Some scholars are even concerned with the potential risk of sub-surface Chinese activities under the sea ice in the arctic ocean. These activities raise concern by some, fearing the Arctic Ocean could be a new stage for especially US and Chinese rivalry. Other claim that
385-540: A new arctic military unit within its Northern Fleet. In 2017 the Russian Naval Regulation stated that Russia in near future would face "new efforts by other states, especially the United States and its allies, in trying to dominate the world's oceans including the Arctic" (own translation). As of the 3 March 2022, all members of the Arctic Council except Russia decided to pause any further cooperation following
462-568: A particular challenge to the Ilulissat Declaration and the Arctic Five. One perceived 'threat' is that of China's increasing commercial interests in the Arctic. In an official white paper on China's Arctic Policy from 2018, China claimed to be a "Near-Arctic State", and thus has clear "economic interests" and maritime claims, stating that there is an incentive to build a so-called ‘ Polar Silk Road '. Such assertions have caused some concern for states that fear China may become too aggressive in
539-438: A snowball effect in the media, with warnings of a scramble for the Arctic. Such depictions of intense geopolitical friction heightened the fear of territorial rivalry in the rapidly melting Arctic, from which arose the Ilulissat Declaration. Furthermore, it was feared that a so-called ‘governance gap', brought to light by the flag-incident, was further problematising matters, resulting in an international impression of disorder in
616-585: A strong reaction from the excluded members of the Arctic Council. Following the incident the remaining Arctic states strengthen their collaboration with other partners, as Island deepened their relationship with China, Sweden initiated a conference at the Nordic Council named "Common Concern for the Arctic", and Finland encouraged the European Union's candidacy as a permanent observer of the Arctic Council. According to scholar Klaus Dodds, this divisiveness between
693-523: Is a network of international winter cities that convene to discuss winter technologies, experiences, and implications for city planning under the guiding philosophy of “Winter is a Resource and an Asset”. The Association, formerly known as the Northern Intercity Conference of Mayors, was founded in 1981 by the city of Sapporo , Japan. As of April 2012, 19 cities from 9 countries participate as members. The seventeenth conference
770-592: Is hosting the Arctic Council Secretariat from 2007 to 2013. The Finnish Arctic Strategy was released June 4, 2010 and concentrates on seven priority areas: security, environment, economy, infrastructure, arctic indigenous residents, institutions, and the European Union. In 2007, Russia planted a flag on the Arctic Ocean seafloor beneath the North Pole while performing research to substantiate its claim to an extended continental shelf . The flag planting
847-711: Is remarkable conformity of stated policy directives among Arctic states and a broad consensus toward peace and cooperation in the region. Obstacles that remain include United States non-ratification of the UNCLOS and the harmonizing of all UNCLOS territorial claims (most notably extended continental shelf claims along the Lomonosov Ridge ); the dispute over the Northwest Passage ; and securing agreements on regulations regarding shipping, tourism, and resource development in Arctic waters. The Arctic Council membership includes
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#1732852793527924-420: Is scheduled for Sapporo in 2016. The Nordic Council is the Nordic inter-parliamentary body, while the Nordic Council of Ministers is the inter-governmental body. Members include: Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and the autonomous territories of Åland Islands (Finland), Faroe Islands (Denmark) and Greenland (Denmark). Barents Euro-Arctic Council (BEAC) is the forum for intergovernmental cooperation in
1001-509: Is supported by youth, organizations, and governments from around the world. In 2014, the YAC hosted its inaugural conference in Ottawa , which brought together over 200 youth from across the Arctic. Main goals in U.S. Arctic Policy are: National security; Protecting the Arctic environment and wildlife; Ensuring economic development is environmentally sustainable; Strengthening cooperative institutions among
1078-416: Is to improve the quality of life of Northern peoples by using leadership networking to tackle common problems; and to support sustainable development and cooperative socio-economic initiatives. The Youth Arctic Coalition is a non-profit, international, youth organization that was created to bridge the gap between youth living in all parts of the Arctic. The YAC has membership in the eight Arctic states, and
1155-471: Is why I, as the Danish Foreign Minister, think of a joint initiative… It is not the strong one who needs the law. It is always the weak). Møller instigated the meeting that led to the Ilulissat Declaration in an attempt to signal order and reassert control in the Arctic region. The Minister of Foreign Affairs justified the purely state-based composition of the declaration, excluding groups such as
1232-491: The Arctic Council , this meant that the Arctic Council, as a complete forum, was not included – missing Sweden, Iceland, and Finland. Also excluded were Indigenous organisations such as the permanent participants of the Arctic Council, like the Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC) The 2008 Arctic Ocean Conference (where the declaration was drafted) was hosted by Per Stig Møller , Danish Minister of Foreign Affairs at
1309-472: The ICC , by stating that the five coastal states were the ones pivotal in communicating a unified political stance, both regionally and internationally, and that the UNCLOS was the adequate structure through which to take responsible future actions. The actual content of the Ilulissat Declaration, as aforementioned, pertains to "vulnerable ecosystems, the livelihoods of local inhabitants and indigenous communities, and
1386-426: The Lomonosov Ridge , an underwater mountain chain crossing the central Arctic basin. Global warming has had a greater impact on summer sea ice in the Arctic than previously estimated. Based on the recent studies, the Arctic will be largely ice-free during the summer sometime between 2020 and 2050. One 2011 Cambridge University study predicted that the Arctic would be free of summer ice by 2015. No models predict that
1463-755: The Yukon . Members include legislators, government officials, business and nonprofit leaders. The Caucus met in December 2010 in Barrow , Alaska; in Portland , Oregon in July 2011; and in Yellowknife , Northwest Territories in August 2011. The Northern Forum is a non-profit, international organization composed of sub-national or regional governments from eight northern countries. The Forum's mission
1540-519: The 2018 meeting, the previously excluded members of the Arctic Council were invited, namely Sweden, Iceland, and Finland, in addition to indigenous organisations part of the Arctic Council. Some academics have tried to explain why Denmark, despite being such a small state without an array of threats, has such an extensive maritime agenda by utilising small state theory . Small state theory claims that smaller states must compensate for their comparatively smaller capacities by collaborating with players on
1617-455: The A5 and the remaining arctic states was later managed through further institutionalization of the Arctic Council, following the first legal binding agreement on search and rescue. "Two competing conceptions of the Arctic Ocean have circulated since the infamous planting of a Russian flag on the bottom of the seabed in 2007. Ideas of a "scramble for territory" depended on accepting that the Arctic Ocean
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#17328527935271694-678: The A5 members have no incentive to challenge the sovereignty of any other member, and thus providing regional stability. The most possible explanation for this is, according to scholar Olav Schram Stokke, that the Arctic nations gained the most from the settlement of UNCLOS, as it legitimized the A5 members interests in the region and provided sovereignty to a highly disputed area rich in natural resources such as minerals, oil and fish. But as climate changes occur, new opportunities for resources, but also new sea routes between Asia and Europe, do so too, which could lead to new possible dilemmas and potentially new competition for marine sovereignty. As stated in
1771-523: The Arctic Council – the forum which was not invited to the Arctic Ocean Conference in 2008), in addition to the exclusion of the Arctic Peoples , added fuel to the fire and was seen as a form of exclusionary politics that collided with existing institutional provisions. This critique was echoed particularly by the indigenous peoples of the Arctic, who were excluded. The state-driven nature of
1848-438: The Arctic Council's confinement or capacities. This has supposedly diminished a competitive interpretation of the A5 with regard to the Arctic Council. The tension was also alleviated through the inclusion of the other Arctic Council members and indigenous people in the 2018 meeting. In addition, initiatives taken since have included more actors – non-coastal actors – as conveyed by negotiations pertaining to fisheries in
1925-402: The Arctic Five claimed that the A5's exclusive cooperation in certain areas had the capacity to undermine other cooperation efforts that have overlapping aims – such as the Arctic Council (consisting of Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Russia and the United States, in addition to the six Permanent Participants ). Iceland, Finland, and Sweden's exclusion (the remaining states of
2002-469: The Arctic Ocean. In 2018, Greenland's at the time Minister of Foreign Affairs, Suka K. Frederiksen , and Denmark's at the time Minister of Foreign Affairs, Anders Samuelsen , decided to host a tenth anniversary of the Ilulissat Declaration by hosting yet another event in Ilulissat, Greenland. This was to reaffirm the enshrined principles in the Ilulissat Declaration and vow to continue abiding by them. In
2079-406: The Arctic Region, which started its activities in 1994. Foreign ministers of the five Arctic Ocean coastal states (Russia, US, Canada, Norway, and Denmark (Greenland)) met: The International Maritime Organization (IMO) was established in 1948 to develop and maintain a comprehensive regulatory framework for shipping. The IMO spent years negotiating an Arctic Code for shipping, but for many years,
2156-435: The Arctic region – which the regional states realised would give ammunition for foreign states to try to make a claim in the area. Thus, the commitment of the A5 to the Ilulissat Declaration was also designed to act as an international indication and reminder that there was already "regional order in the Arctic". Linked to the aforementioned fear of a perceived ‘governance gap', another motivation for creating this declaration
2233-653: The Arctic region: According to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), coastal states have sovereign rights to resources in the water and seabed within a 200-mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). However, Article 76 of the Convention allows coastal states to extend their sovereign rights up to 350 nautical miles from their coastline if they can prove that the Arctic seafloor's underwater ridges are an extension of
2310-579: The Arctic states (Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden, and the United States) and the European Parliament. The conference also includes Indigenous peoples groups as Permanent Participants, and observers. The conference meets every two years, last in Oslo June 7, 2010. Between conferences the Arctic parliamentary cooperation is carried on by a Standing Committee of Parliamentarians of
2387-631: The Arctic, including those relevant to the activities of the Arctic Council. State Department's Office of Ocean and Polar Affairs (OPA) is a part of the State Department's Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs (OES). OPA is responsible for formulating and implementing U.S. policy on international issues concerning the oceans, the Arctic, and Antarctica. Canada has more Arctic land mass than any country. On August 23, 2010, Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper said protection of Canada's sovereignty over its northern regions
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2464-598: The Barents Region established in 1993 to "provide impetus to existing cooperation and consider new initiatives and proposals". Members include: Russia, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Finland, Sweden and Commission of European Communities. The Pacific Northwest Economic Region (PNWER) Arctic Caucus formed informally in November 2010 as a loose alliance between Alaska and the Canadian Territories of Northwest Territories and
2541-682: The Code was only set of voluntary Guidelines for Ships Operating in Arctic Ice-Covered Waters (adopted in 2002). The Guidelines provide uniform safety, pollution prevention, and security standards for ocean carriers. However, on 1 January 2017, the International Code for Ships Operating in Polar Waters entered into force and is mandatory for all ships in Arctic waters over 500 tonnes. The World Winter Cities Association for Mayors (WWCAM)
2618-516: The Danish and Canadian naval forces planted their national flags and placed a bottle of local liquor on the island occasionally. By 2022 both countries signed a deal splitting the island in half and ending the dispute peacefully. The Arctic Council consists of eight member states including the A5. The council was formally established on 19 September 1996 with the signing of the Ottawa Declaration by
2695-496: The EU, Iceland, Norway and Russia. Canada and the United States are observers to the partnership. Three Nordic Council members have joined the EU (Denmark in 1973 and Sweden & Finland in 1995). The European Union's application to become a “permanent observer” in the Arctic Council was blocked in 2009 by Canada in response to the EU's ban on the importation of seal products. China's ice capable research vessel , Xuě Lóng , sailed
2772-411: The European Union occurs, the EU will increase its Arctic influence and possibly gain permanent observer status in the Arctic Council. The Northern Dimension of European Union policy, established in the late 1990s, intended to deal with issues concerning western Russia, as well as to increase general cooperation among the EU, Iceland and Norway. It has since become a multilateral, equal partnership among
2849-401: The Ilulissat Declaration was seen as questionable, and the signatory states' exclusive power to delineate the Arctic was especially contested. However, this potential ground for tension has contracted since due to a refinement in the way that the Arctic Five is actually used – now primarily being seen as a supplementary forum to the Arctic Council and covering niche areas and topics not within
2926-513: The Ilulissat Declaration within the A5. Another mention worthy example of cooperation outside of the Arctic Council is "the Whiskey War" between two allies, Denmark and Canada. 1973 Denmark and Canada signed a treaty delimitating their border in the water between the east coast of Greenland and the western/northern coast of Canada. The border crossed right through Tartupaluk (Hans Island), a small uninhabited island. The dispute continued for decades, as
3003-438: The Ilulissat Declaration, "The Arctic Ocean stands at the threshold of significant changes. Climate change and the melting of ice have a potential impact on vulnerable ecosystems, the livelihoods of local inhabitants and indigenous communities, and the potential exploitation of natural resources." With the withdraw of the sea ice in the Arctic Ocean new opportunities occurs. As stated by some scholars, these new opportunities attract
3080-743: The Lomonosov Ridge is a part of the Ellesmere Island , and Russia claims it to be a part of the New Siberian Islands . In total, Denmark claims to an area approximately 895,000 square kilometers in the Arctic Ocean north of Greenland, of which some is contested by both Russia and Canada. Canada, Denmark, and Russia have all submitted a claim to the United Nations Commission on the Limits of Continental Shelf (CLCS) for sovereignty rights for
3157-589: The Minister of Foreign Affairs at the time, Per Stig Møller. Following the Russian-affiliated flag affair, Møller made this statement in an interview about the whole incident: "That was my biggest fear; the Arctic becoming a fait accompli. After all, in that context we are the weak nation. If someone would take the law into their own hands outside of Greenland and say: ‘We will take this' and then e.g. drill for oil without asking for permission, what could we do? That
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3234-687: The Nares Strait between Ellesmere Island and Greenland. On April 27, 2010, Norway and Russia announced an end to their 40-year arctic demarcation dispute in the Barents Sea. Future joint energy development is expected. Maritime boundaries between Canada and the United States in the Beaufort Sea and between Canada and Denmark in Baffin Bay remain under dispute. Denmark (Greenland), Russia and Canada may have competing extended continental shelf claims over
3311-483: The North Pole, and thereby the sole rights to the resources in the area. On the opposite side, the Ilulissat Declaration was a step away from a potential escalation of the situation, with the A5 obligating to The United Nations Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and peaceful settlement of territory in the region. According to another theory in International Relations, securitization is the movement of "normal politics" into
3388-446: The North Pole. Russia received acceptance for their claim in 2023 by the CLCS, based on article 76 of UNCLOS. Denmark's claim to the CLCS is expected to be settled around the year of 2030, and Canadas is still until further notice. Arctic cooperation and politics Arctic cooperation and politics are partially coordinated via the Arctic Council , composed of the eight Arctic states:
3465-577: The Northwest Passage in August 2012. China is interested in Arctic resources and shipping routes; and attained permanent observer status in the Arctic Council in 2013. South Korea has an icebreaker and is building another. The country is investing in LNG infrastructure near Inuvik , where LNG will be shipped from the Beaufort Sea and south through the Bering Strait. Other treaties governing all or part of
3542-516: The Obama Administration and its Departments. The U.S. Arctic Policy Group is a federal interagency working group comprising those agencies with programs and/or involvement in research and monitoring, land and natural resources management, environmental protection, human health, transportation and policy making in the Arctic. The APG is chaired by the U.S. Department of State and meets monthly to develop and implement U.S. programs and policies in
3619-598: The Russian flag planting being the pinnacle of the situation. In the aftermath of the Ilulissat Declaration, committing to UNCLOS, the situation stabilized yet again as the regional disputes went back into the realm of normal politics through the A5 and the Arctic Council. After the Russian annexation of the Crimea peninsula tensions increased within the A5. In the period from 2000 to 2022 Russian military spending increased, and in 2014 by decreed of President Vladimir Putin, Russia created
3696-404: The Russian invasion of Ukraine. The 8 June 2022 the members decided to resume the cooperation, limited only to some projects of which Russia was not involved. According to some scholars, the Arctic Council has, until the current tensions with Russia and the other members of the council, succeeded in providing regulatory competence within the different national self-interests in the area. Therefore,
3773-468: The United States, Canada, Iceland , Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia, and Denmark with Greenland and the Faroe Islands . The dominant governmental power in Arctic policy resides within the executive offices, legislative bodies, and implementing agencies of the eight Arctic countries, and to a lesser extent other countries, such as United Kingdom, Germany, European Union and China. NGOs and academia play
3850-436: The United States, Canada, Denmark, Island, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia. Today the council furthermore consists of six permanent participant groups representing the indigenes people in the arctic and 38 observers, of which 13 are non-arctic observation states, including states as India, China, The Netherlands etc. The signing of the Ilulissat Declaration and the exclusion of the other members and participant groups created
3927-744: The United States, the Russian Federation, Canada, Norway and Denmark (the five coastal states of the Arctic Ocean , also known as the Arctic five or A5), following the Arctic Ocean Conference in Ilulissat , Greenland . The conference delegates discussed the Arctic Ocean, climate change, the protection of the marine environment , maritime safety , and division of emergency responsibilities if new shipping routes are opened. The declaration addresses
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#17328527935274004-443: The areas of "vulnerable ecosystems, the livelihoods of local inhabitants and indigenous communities, and the potential exploitation of natural resources", invoking a jurisdictional and sovereign-based approach to convey the responsibilities of the Arctic five. The increasingly concerning consequences of climate change in the Arctic , resulting in melting Arctic sea ice , have become ground for enhanced attention and cooperation in
4081-417: The attention of other fortune seeking nations including countries such as self-proclaimed "subarctic nation" China. In the last decade China has intensified its presence in the region, both scientifically, economically and militarily. China has established scientific research bases in both Iceland and Svalbard (Norwegian island) and several satellite bases across the region. China has made efforts in establishing
4158-445: The bodies involved in Arctic governance. In a briefing note prepared for the 2016 Arctic Yearbook, Andreas Kuersten acknowledges a widespread view that the Arctic Five is usurping the Arctic Council's central position, but concludes that the two groups can complement one another in positive ways. The politics and disputes in the region are not only negotiated through the Arctic Council, but also through bi- and multilateral cooperation as
4235-429: The central Arctic Ocean (Schatz, Proelss, Liu). Initiatives like this have reduced the initial competitive perceptions of the A5 by demonstrating the necessity of broader cooperation in the Arctic region. In addition to the worrying effects of climate change, acting as a constant source of pressure on actors involved in the Arctic region, there are other developments that have presented themselves as potentially acting as
4312-413: The council and thereby providing continued cooperation in the region both within the A5 and the Arctic Council. Prior to the Ilulissat Declaration tensions between the Russian Federation and the other members of the A5 increased, as growing military activity and even closer partnership among the western Arctic states created a potentially hostile environment trapped in a potentially "vicious circle", with
4389-540: The country's own continental shelf . Governments have ten years following their ratification of UNCLOS within which to submit their claims to extended continental shelves. In 2001 Russia was the first Arctic littoral state to submit its claim. The UN Commission on the Continental Shelf requested a revised claim with more scientific data supporting their claim, and Russia planned to file additional data in 2013. Denmark and Canada dispute ownership of Hans Island in
4466-569: The eight Arctic countries and organizations representing six indigenous populations. It operates on consensus basis, mostly dealing with environmental treaties and not addressing boundary or resource disputes. (Although the Arctic Search and Rescue Agreement was signed in May ;2011, the council's first binding document). A more robust Arctic Council with decision-making power on pan-Arctic resource and other issues has been proposed. Members include
4543-444: The eight Arctic countries: Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden and United States. Permanent participants are these six indigenous groups: Arctic Council working groups: In Tromsø, Norway on April 29, 2009, Arctic Council ministers approved a task force to create an international Search & Rescue (SAR) instrument for the Arctic by the next meeting in 2011. In Nuuk , Greenland on May 12, 2011, ministers signed
4620-457: The eight Arctic countries; Including the Arctic's indigenous communities in decisions; and Improving scientific monitoring and research. On January 9, 2009, President Bush signed National Security Presidential Directive (NSPD)-66 on Arctic Region Policy, a collaborative effort replacing the Clinton era Arctic policy directive. NSPD-66 is currently the active Arctic policy playbook being pursued by
4697-520: The four million people who inhabit the planet's Arctic region. Russia's current Arctic policy is contained in the document "Basics of Russian Federation State Policy for the Arctic Through 2020 and Beyond" signed on 18 September 2008 by Russian President (now Prime Minister) Medvedev. This policy document addresses various issues tied to the protection and development of the land and offshore waters of Russia's Arctic sector. If accession of Iceland to
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#17328527935274774-411: The international level in order to remain strategic and have a voice in important political matters. In the case of Denmark's activities in the Arctic, its geographical positioning automatically makes Denmark a key actor, which is conveyed by the Ilulissat Declaration which Denmark's Foreign Minister instigated himself. The Ilulissat Declaration epitomises a regional maritime governance perspective. It
4851-488: The mandatory requirements for safety and protection of the environment under the Polar Code . Key Arctic fishery regimes include: Ilulissat Declaration The Ilulissat Declaration is a document signifying necessary joint regional efforts and responsibilities in response to the potentially adverse effects of climate change with regard to the melting Arctic ice pack . It was brought into force on May 28, 2008 by
4928-414: The potential exploitation of natural resources". The declaration specifies that cooperation should take the form of search and rescue capabilities, protection and preservation, and collection of scientific data. As elaborated in the document, cooperation between the Arctic Five already takes place, so this declaration acts as a reassertion of such roles and responsibilities which need to be taken seriously in
5005-487: The primary stage for US and Chinese rivalry is in the Indo-Pacific Ocean and will continue to be so in the future. Several sovereignty claims have been made by members of the A5 in the Arctic Ocean, even among western allies. Denmark has made the proposal that the Lomonosov Ridge , a submerged mountain chain passing through the North Pole, is a part of Greenland and therefore a part of Danish territory. Canada claims
5082-465: The realm of militarization and interstate conflicts, whereas desecuritization is the movement back into the sphere of "normal politics". In the light of this theory, The Ilulissat Declaration can be viewed as a desecuritization act, as the regional instability was handled through democratic ethos (though criticized for excluding the remaining members of the Arctic Council) pursuing a peaceful solution to
5159-423: The region. Fear of economic exploitation and pollution in the Arctic Ocean was a key source of momentum in drafting and implementing the Ilulissat Declaration. Melting Arctic ice, exacerbated by climate change, has intensified concerns that economic activities in the area will further degrade the environment – thereby calling for renewed cooperation efforts and reaffirming territorial claims. For example, melting of
5236-449: The sea ice will lead to more Arctic shipping routes , such as the Northwest Passage , that could lead to economic exploitation in the Arctic. The territorial dimension of the declaration was seen by many as a response to Russian explorers planting the Russian flag at the bottom of the seabed of the Arctic Ocean in 2007, just the year prior to the Ilulissat Declaration. This occurrence had
5313-414: The situation and the commitment to international law and science. The A5 were the sole partners of the Ilulissat Declaration, and by those means the spearhead for desecuring the situation in the Arctic Ocean. But as stated in the Ilulissat Declaration, the A5 will continue to work together in other forums, including the Arctic Council, which, as stated by Klaus Dodds, successfully managed to institutionalize
5390-410: The time, and Hans Enoksen , Greenlandic Premier at the time. The key ministerial level attendees included Sergey Lavrov , Russian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Jonas Gahr Støre , Norwegian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Gary Lunn , Canadian Minister for Natural Resources, and John Negroponte , American Deputy Secretary of State. Denmark was the initiator of the Ilulissat Declaration, influenced by
5467-450: The winter sea ice will disappear during this century. An ice-free Arctic has major strategic and economic ramifications for global shipping, as vessels will potentially be able to traverse the Arctic Ocean. Trans-Arctic shipping routes could shorten distances between northern Europe and northern China by up to 4,000 nautical miles and reduce shipping times by up to two weeks. All cargo ships in Arctic waters over 500 tonnes are subject to
5544-719: The world and just plant flags and say, 'We're claiming this territory.'" Even though the Canadians did themselves on Tartupaluk (Hans Island). The planting created what some scholars refer to as "the scramble for territory", as the planting created a new era for dispute and fear for increased militarization in the region as states would once again compete for territory. According to a classical realist theory in International Relations, states are driven by self-interest and maximization of power, which in terms of interstate dispute could lead to armed conflict. The Russian flag planting fits well within this theory, as Russia tried to gain sovereignty on
5621-414: Was a "terra nullius" or belonging to no one." In the aftermath of the Russian flag planting in 2007, regional stability in the Arctic Ocean was challenged. The planting created headlines in international media and prominent politicians and ministers from the Arctic Ocean states reacted heavily. Canadian Foreign Minister at the time Peter MacKay stated, "this isn't the fifteenth century. You can't go around
5698-591: Was crucial for the A5 to assert this regional maritime power in the aftermath of the Russian-flag incident, as perceptions of a ‘governance gap' led to an array of actors arguing for an Arctic Treaty in the likes of the Antarctic Treaty , which is based on an international approach. Through the declaration, the Arctic Ocean coastal states attempted to restate their legitimacy and power in the region, squashing any calls for an international approach. Initial critics of
5775-692: Was its number one and "non-negotiable priority" in Arctic policy. Canada has slated $ 109 million, to be spent before 2014, for research to substantiate extended continental shelf claims. Canada's Arctic policy priorities are: to try to resolve boundary issues; to secure international recognition for the full extent of Canada's extended continental shelf; and to address Arctic governance and related emerging issues, such as public safety. G-7 finance ministers met in Nunavut in February 2010. The Norwegian Polar Institute in Tromsø
5852-471: Was merely to block any calls for an Arctic Treaty that would bring in new legislation and new states. The framework of regional governance is supported in the Ilulissat Declaration, stating that the existing legal framework – the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) – is to continue to be respected and kept firmly in place. As the A5 only make up five of the eight members of
5929-589: Was perceived erroneously to be a land claim—a claim Canada and other Arctic countries rebuked even though the Russian Government clearly stated that no such claim was made. In 2009, a Russian government policy document cited western reports of a potential for military conflict over Arctic resources. Despite having lost 18 percent of its population between 1989 and 2002, the Russian Arctic comprises 25% of Russia's landmass and still contains 80 percent of
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