Institute of Arctic Studies Fellow Maddox Weighs in on Arctic Governance Debate
Marisol Maddox, Senior Arctic Fellow at the Institute of Arctic Studies (IAS), has co-authored a compelling commentary in Arctic Today addressing the ongoing debate about the future of Arctic governance.
Maddox and co-author Julia Nesheiwat push back strongly against recent assertions from an Arctic geopolitical scholar that the Arctic Council—the leading intergovernmental forum promoting cooperation, coordination, and interaction in the Arctic—has lost its impact and importance due to the return of great power politics. This rebuttal is in response to ideas highlighted in a recent article about the new book, Unfrozen: The Fight for the Future of the Arctic by Mia Bennett and Klaus Dodds.
Maddox and Nesheiwat argue that dismissing the Council would incur a significant opportunity cost for all Arctic stakeholders and rightsholders (Arctic Indigenous Peoples). They emphasize the Arctic Council’s continued importance to the U.S. and other Arctic States in areas critical to national interests.
“The loss of the Arctic Council would carry an opportunity cost for the Arctic States, Permanent Participants, and Observers—particularly on transboundary cooperation on critical issues like economic development and scientific research, which ultimately do pertain to national security… To secure a prosperous and peaceful Arctic, we must pursue appropriate mechanisms to strengthen this body for dialogue and collaboration, ensuring its vital work endures—because a united Arctic is the best defense for navigating the region’s chilliest challenges.”
Marisol Maddox, Senior Arctic Fellow at the Institute of Arctic Studies
Addressing the Future of the Arctic Council
Dialogs about how inclusive governance, modeled by the Arctic Council with both Arctic Nations and Arctic Indigenous Peoples at the decision-making table, remains central to the work of IAS Director Melody Brown Burkins, who also serves as UArctic Chair of Science Diplomacy and Inclusion at Dartmouth. She will be addressing the importance of the Arctic Council model at the upcoming 2025 Arctic Circle Assembly in Iceland, speaking on a panel entitled Towards the New Era of Arctic Exceptionalism. The panel will include policy-engaged colleagues from the U.S., Norway, Canada, and Germany.
