Pan Arctic Forum

The Arctic Institute published an article titled, “International Politics and Governance in the Arctic – An Introduction”. The article reads in part as follows:

For the first time in a German-language textbook, the history, actors, institutions, and processes of international Arctic politics and governance are analysed clearly and comprehensibly against the background of various policy fields and theories of International Relations. Questions such as “What constitutes the Arctic as a region in international relations?”, “Which actors and institutions play a role in Arctic governance?”, “What significance do resources and shipping routes have in an increasingly accessible Arctic?”, and “What environmental and safety concerns are associated with a warmer Arctic?” are at the centre of current scientific and political debates addressed in this book. It thus offers beginners as well as advanced scholars of Arctic politics and governance an orientation between the historical romanticisation of the Arctic region as no man’s land and its current characterisation as an impending conflict area.

Fitzwilliam College Cambridge published an article titled, “The Changing Arctic inquiry”. The article reads in part as follows:

On 11 July 2018, Fellow Dr Richard Powell appeared as a witness before the House of Commons’ Environmental Audit Committee’s inquiry into ‘The Changing Arctic’.

During the session Dr Powell, who is Director of Studies in Geography, was asked to provide expertise in UK Arctic social sciences and humanities and advise on formation of UK Arctic research and policy. He was joined by Henry Burgess, Head of the Arctic Office, British Antarctic Survey, and Prof Duncan Wingham, NERC Executive Chair, Natural Environment Research Council.

Fair Observer published an article titled, “US Falls Behind in the Arctic Arms Race”. The article reads in part as follows:

Many international actors have recognized the growing strategic and commercial importance of the Arctic Circle and its newly opening waterways.

In August 2017, the Russian tanker Christophe de Margerie completed a northern expedition through the Arctic Circle, traveling from Norway to South Korea in the span of 19 days without an icebreaker escort. News of the voyage provided a jolt to an international community that had been anxiously watching what appeared to be the beginnings of an Arctic arms race.

The Arctic Institute is published an article titled, “Explaining the Arctic Council Secretariat (ACS): Transmission and Imitation (Part II)”. The article reads in part as follows:

According to sociological institutionalists, institutional forms and procedures are not simply adopted with regard to means-ends efficiency, but reflect culturally specific practices, procedures and symbolism.¹⁾ They focus on the relevance of cognitive and sociological processes.²⁾ The explanation of institutional reform is a key concept of sociological institutionalism. Institutional reforms occur because organizations are constantly confronted with socially created recipes for how they should be designed.³⁾These reform recipes can become “rationalized myths” about what makes a good reform, when they are popularly believed to constitute the solution to a specific problem.⁴⁾ Those myths can spread through processes of transmission and imitation, thus becoming a new “superstandard” for one institutional aspect.⁵⁾ This process of diffusion is usually referred to as “isomorphism” and causes organizational structures to grow more and more alike.⁶⁾ Consequently, the main argument for institutional reform and change is that choices for the design of institutions are based on existing examples.