RUSI Newsbrief, 24 Jun 2013 By Klaus DoddsAfter much speculation and intrigue, the official statements related to the Arctic Council ministerial meeting, hosted within the northern Swedish city of Kiruna, confirmed the reply to the question on everyone’s minds about whether China can be invited to become an observer. The solution, apparently agreed over a ministerial dinner, was ‘yes’.

With this, China and five other candidates – Japan, India, Italy, Singapore and South Korea – join states resembling Germany, the Netherlands and the united kingdom as permanent observers to the Arctic Council. Yet other candidates were less successful. The EU’s candidacy was postponed because of a dispute with Canada over a 2009 seal-product export ban. Greenpeace, a notable critic of the Arctic Council’s stance on black-carbon emissions, oil-spill response and resource-led development, also did not win an observer seat.

An understanding of 4 prevailing contexts is needed to make sense of the consequences of this ministerial meeting: the status of observers inside the Arctic Council; the new creation of a brand new grouping (the Arctic Circle); the emerging legal geographies of the Arctic region; and, finally, the competing ideas concerning the way forward for the region.

Please log in to continue reading.

Continue reading

Posted in Security Systems