In 1996, the Ottawa Declaration established the Arctic Council (AC) with eight states, all of which have territory in the Arctic. The AC is the leading intergovernmental forum in terms of...Show moreIn 1996, the Ottawa Declaration established the Arctic Council (AC) with eight states, all of which have territory in the Arctic. The AC is the leading intergovernmental forum in terms of sustainable development and environmental protection in the Arctic. This forum promotes cooperation, coordination, and interaction among the Arctic States and among Arctic indigenous communities. The Netherlands became an Observer in 1998, whereas China joined the AC in 2013. Both states are concerned about the impact of climate change in the Arctic region and the different kinds of consequences it may have for their state. Both states contribute to the AC with scientific knowledge, and they participate in several Working Groups. Critical discourse analysis (CDA) helps explore and understand the meaning of the role of the Netherlands and China as Observers, leading to an answer to how both states use science diplomacy (SD) as a strategic tool and potentially revealing hidden agendas in terms of the nature of their economic interest. Although CDA did not unfold hidden agendas of both states, what can be said is that probably both states are using SD as a strategic tool to shift attention away from their own (economic) incentives.Show less
The Arctic is often perceived to be a vast empty space, the world’s inhospitable and politically unimportant hinterland. Increasingly at the forefront of the global climate change precipice, the...Show moreThe Arctic is often perceived to be a vast empty space, the world’s inhospitable and politically unimportant hinterland. Increasingly at the forefront of the global climate change precipice, the attention the Arctic receives predominantly reflects a passive region that serves as a dire warning of the environmental degradation to come. In reality however, the Arctic is home to over 500,000 indigenous peoples whose heritages reflect thousands of years of subsistence living and adaption to the region’s environment. The political agency of indigenous peoples in the Arctic is integral to the innovative and collaborative space. As a result, indigenous knowledge is an important component for understanding Arctic international relations and developments. However, the narrow framework of mainstream International Relations is unequipped to sufficiently address this reality. This thesis asks: How do Arctic indigenous peoples’ knowledge and perspectives pose a challenge to prevailing International Relations assumptions? With a focus on the challenges and new perspectives that indigenous knowledge offers to the assumptions of state-centrism, agency, cooperation, territoriality, sovereignty and modernity, this thesis endeavours to include indigenous views in a more inclusive and globally representative International Relations. Is it sufficient to analyse the indigenous political role in environmental protection and sustainable development as one of a non-state influence, pressuring states to make environmentally conscious decisions in their policies? Are indigenous political and social arrangements in the Arctic merely an anomaly formation of significant authority within the regular framework of state interactions? This thesis argues that the variety of indigenous beliefs, worldviews, and knowledge provide more discerning and apt frameworks for International Relations theory to understand indigenous peoples’ involvement in Arctic politics.Show less
This thesis tests the case of the Arctic Council, the leading international organization focused exclusively on the northernmost region on earth, against Liberalism and other theories of...Show moreThis thesis tests the case of the Arctic Council, the leading international organization focused exclusively on the northernmost region on earth, against Liberalism and other theories of International Relations. Established in 1996 and including former Cold War opponents Russia and the United States among its signatories, the Council’s existence as a platform for cooperation so soon after the Cold War highlights its global and historical significance. By looking at the core of the Arctic Council, this thesis highlights its development as an international organization and aims to underline how military confrontations have been kept to a minimum. Since its establishment, the Council has faced a multitude of challenges as an international organization where the environmental change has facilitated access to more natural resources in the Arctic, catching the attention of other states and organizations who wish to exploit these changes to their own benefit. This thesis concludes that the Arctic Council has developed into a more structured international organization and can be evaluated to be a successful one. This research suggests the cooperation between the Arctic states within the Arctic Council can be a preventing factor for military confrontation from escalating in the region. The Council is argued to have acted within its geostrategic framework, been successful in what it was established to do and adapted to a changing landscape in the region at the same time. To stay within their stated mission and act within their geostrategic framework to reduce military tension is argued the lesson to be learned for other international organizations from the case of the Arctic Council.Show less
