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Arctic Yearbook 2014
Three articles look at tourism in the Arctic. The first, by Kristjánsdóttir, looks at sustainability
practices using case studies from northern Sweden. The second is a product of collaboration
between members of the University of the Arctic Thematic Network on Northern Tourism. It
focuses on the realities and possibilities of tourism in the Arctic with an ambitious, fully circumpolar
outlook. Finally, the contribution by Tommasini examines the varied experiences with tourism in
three Greenlandic communities: Ukkusissat, Narasq and Qaanaaq.
The section is rounded out by two articles examining the challenges of balancing environmental
sustainability and economic interests. Sojka examines the gaps in management capacity needed to
fulfill governance responsibilities in Canada’s integrated oceans management framework. Meanwhile
Sarkki, Latola, Jokinen and Stepien introduce the concept of ‘socio-natural’ capital, or the ability of
institutions and people to use natural capital in sustainable ways. They illustrate their
conceptualisations with the example of reindeer herding and other land use in Fennoscandia.
Geopolitics & Security
Geopolitical factors are top-of-mind in the Arctic region, and a main preoccupation of the Arctic
Yearbook itself. Coming on the heels of growing non-Arctic interest and engagement in the region,
Bailes examines the United Kingdom’s 2013 Arctic Policy, the latest in a series of non-Arctic, or as
some prefer, near-Arctic, national policy documents (see Heininen in Arctic Yearbook 2012).
Coming from a national defence perspective, Rahbek-Clemmensen introduces the concept of
‘Arctic-vism’ for Danish political-military planners who are seeking to balance between a deterrence
strategy for Greenland, continued cooperation in the region, and sustaining good relations between
Greenland and Denmark. While Russian military build-ups in the Arctic continue to capture global
attention, Padrtová argues that the Kremlin’s repeated announcements on increasing its military
capabilities in the Arctic should be seen as misleading and financially impossible to materialize for
the Russian Federation. It’s more about rhetoric and balancing power in international relations; a
primary and recurring preoccupation in Arctic politics in 2014. From that perspective – and
considering that military rhetoric and misperceptions of state intentions is not unique to Russia –
Schaller suggests that there is a need for confidence-building measures in the Arctic to maintain
long-term stability. In his view, policymakers could take a closer look at the Organization for
Security and Cooperation in Europe as an inspiration for the Arctic states.
Commentaries and Briefing Notes
In addition to scholarly articles, the Arctic Yearbook 2014 boasts a collection of short commentaries
from the region’s top thought-influencers, policy developers, and experts. These document many of
the innovations, issues and developments which dominated discussion on the Arctic region in 2014:
the Olympic Flame making its way to the North Pole, drones in the Northwest Passage, and
continuing Polar Code negotiations for Arctic shipping; growing mining activities to controversies
around food in/security in Canada; the role of the EU, Russian cross-border relations and Chinese
Nordic interests; the impacts of the Ukraine crisis on Barents cooperation; and new challenges for
the Arctic Council.
Introduction