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Why the Arctic Council Matters to Maine Dave Canarie James.Canarie@Maine.Edu Maine Policy Review Volume 25 | Issue 2 2016 Maine’s Journey into the Arctic: Why the Arctic Council Matters to Maine Dave Canarie [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/mpr Recommended Citation Canarie, Dave. "Maine’s Journey into the Arctic: Why the Arctic Council Matters to Maine." Maine Policy Review 25.2 (2016) : 14 -15, https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/mpr/vol25/iss2/5. This Commentary is brought to you for free and open access by DigitalCommons@UMaine. THE ARCTIC COUNCIL COMMENTARY Development Program to the Association Maine’s Journey into the Arctic: of World Reindeer Herders. Why the Arctic Council Matters to Maine Interest in an international forum for Arctic issues can be traced back to the beginning of the twentieth century, by Dave Canarie1 but progress toward any type of gover- nance was disrupted by World War II he Arctic Council, whose officials the Arctic Council. These Arctic Eight and the Cold War. In fact, during the Tmet in Portland in early October are the United States, Canada, Iceland, early 1980s the United States and the of 2016, is relatively young as far as Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Soviet Union “engaged in renewed mili- international organizations go. Now in and the Russian Federation. Each of tary buildups” in the Arctic region (Nord its twentieth year, it faces inevitable these states designates senior Arctic 2016: 13). growing pains, but it has nevertheless officials who manage the ongoing Nord points to two events in the evolved into the preeminent forum for operation of the council, and the coun- late 1980s that accelerated efforts toward Arctic issues. cil’s meetings, such as the recent meeting Arctic governance. First, dangerous leaks At least one reason for its success in Portland. from the Soviet nuclear power plant in is a spirit of cooperation among The second category of members in Chernobyl spread radioactive material its members, which is influenced by the Arctic Council is comprised of asso- throughout the polar region. This raised the consensus-based decision-making ciations representing six groups of indig- “a general alarm among all circumpolar approach of indigenous Arctic peoples. enous Arctic people: Aleut, Athabaskan, states concerning…transboundary One diplomat said Arctic officials work Gwich’in, Inuit, Russian indigenous pollution and environmental contami- together so well because of their shared peoples, and the Saami. These groups are nation throughout the Arctic” (2016: recognition that “We are, in fact, all in permanent participants in the council, 13). Second, in October 1987, new the same small kayak and we must work and they also attended the Arctic Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev gave an together to meet the storms ahead.” Council meeting in Portland. According influential speech in Murmansk where High-level Arctic officials from the to Nord, the permanent participants he proposed countering the buildup of United States and seven other nations in “articulate distinctive indigenous military forces in the Arctic by asking the Arctic region, and representatives of concerns and perspectives that may not that all states with land in the Arctic indigenous people from the Arctic, gath- be fully represented by the national region put aside their differences and ered in Portland October 4–6, 2016, to governments” who are members (Nord turn the Arctic into a “general zone of discuss issues of importance to the 2016: 38). In welcoming participation peace and fruitful cooperation”(Nord region. But, just what is the Arctic from indigenous peoples, the Arctic 2016: 14). Council? Who are these high-level offi- Council has demonstrated inclusiveness Those two events reignited interest cials and indigenous people? And why that is uncommon among international in governance for the Arctic region. does any of this matter to Maine or to organizations. Moreover, the council has Under Canada’s leadership, these efforts other parts of the world? embraced the consensus model used by culminated in the 1996 Ottawa In The Arctic Council: indigenous people in the Arctic region, Declaration in which the eight Arctic Governance within the Far North, implicitly acknowledging the “wisdom states agreed to establish a high- Douglas C. Nord of Umeå University in to be gained in following the traditional level forum to cooperate on Arctic Sweden provides a concise, thoroughly decision-making practices of the Arctic” issues, oversee sustainable development researched, and immensely informative (Nord 2016: 71). and environmental programs, and overview of the Arctic Council. The third category of participants is disseminate information about Arctic- With a coordinating office in comprised of 32 “observers” including related issues. Tromsø, Norway, the Arctic Council non-Arctic states such as the China, The Arctic Council has a leadership has three categories of members. First, India, the United Kingdom, Spain, as chair that rotates every two years among are eight voting member states that well as a number of nongovernmental the eight Arctic states. The United States’ have territory within the Arctic region organizations ranging from the two-year term as chair began on April 24, and who signed the declaration creating International Red Cross and the UN 2015. As chair, the United States has MAINE POLICY REVIEW • Vol. 25, No. 2 • 2016 14 THE ARCTIC COUNCIL COMMENTARY identified three areas of focus for its Portland has heightened Mainers’ aware- ENDNOTES term: improving economic and living ness of the region. According to Mia 1 For more by Dave Canarie, follow him conditions in Arctic communities; Arctic Bennett (2016), “Maine is now looking on Twitter: @DaveCanarie. Ocean safety, security, and stewardship; northeast to a market in Europe that it 2 For more information on Maine’s and climate change. These are chief hadn’t really noticed before….Maine is growing connection to the Arctic, I among the issues discussed at the also trying to expand upon business recommend this article by Tom Bell, meeting in Portland. opportunities in the Nordic countries.” “How Maine Is Turning Itself into an Arctic Player,” Alaska Dispatch News, The Arctic Council matters to Maine The Arctic Council is important October 6, 2016, https://www.adn.com because Maine is inextricably linked to beyond the Arctic region because of its /arctic/2016/10/06/how-maine-is-turning the Arctic by its proximity to the region. successful model of regional governance -itself-into-an-arctic-player/. Maine is the closest state on the East and problem solving. As the United REFERENCES Coast of the United States to the Arctic Nations continues to grow in size, it Bennett, Mia. 2016. “Eimskip in region. This proximity has in turn facili- develops the attributes of a large bureau- Maine: A Sage for the 21st-Century tated a growing number of connections. cracy. In an article in The Telegraph Arctic.” Cryopolitics: Arctic News & As Maine’s engagement with the Arctic (June 26, 2015) celebrating the institu- Analysis (May 5) https://cryopolitics region increases, there will likely be an tion’s seventieth anniversary in 2015, .com/2016/05/05/eimskip-in-maine-a expansion of student exchanges with former UN Deputy General Secretary- -saga-for-the-21st-century-arctic/ colleges and universities throughout the General Mark Malloch-Brown Nord, Douglas C. 2016. The Arctic Council: region. A press release by the University commented on the heavy bureaucracy of Governance within the Far North. of Southern Maine (August 2, 2016) the UN and remarked that it could be Routledge, New York. describes one such connection: a new “labyrinthian, hard to penetrate and student exchange program with Reykjavik often apparently immune to tragedy.” In Dave Canarie University in Iceland. According to an contrast, the Arctic Council’s effective is an attorney in article in the Portland Press Herald regional cooperation could be a model Portland, Maine, (October 26, 2016), the University of for regional governance within the and faculty New England has announced a partner- United States or internationally. The member at the ship with two universities in Iceland: the United Nations, or other national or University of University of Akureyri and Holar transnational organizations, may Southern Maine University College. Several Maine scien- improve their problem-solving capabili- and St. Joseph’s tific institutions are already conducting ties by studying the relatively new and College. research in the Arctic, and this work is effective Arctic Council model. This expected to expand over time. Growing could involve, for example, addressing connections between Maine and the smaller components of larger problems Arctic are also illustrated by Eimskip’s— and involving stakeholders who are an Icelandic shipping company—2013 directly involved in the issues. Nord decision to replace Norfolk, Virginia, concludes “the story of Arctic coopera- with Portland, as a port of call, recog- tion has done much to inform policy- nizing the shorter transit time to makers from other affected countries Reykjavik from Portland. This develop- regarding how states can continue to ment connects Portland with shipping work together despite their disagree- routes through Iceland to numerous ments and come away with enhanced ports in Europe. Portland’s role in Arctic- commitment to partnership” (2016: 88). related shipping will only increase as the The Arctic Council meeting in catastrophic melting of Arctic sea ice Portland last month is another step opens up new global trade routes.2 forward in Arctic governance and in In addition to increased trade with Maine’s continuing journey into the the Arctic region, Eimskip’s presence in Arctic. - MAINE POLICY REVIEW • Vol. 25, No. 2 • 2016 15.
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