Impacts of Globalization, and the Circumpolar North in World Politics

One of the main themes of current international relations and geopolitics of the Circumpolar North is the relationship between the Arctic and the outside world. This relation has been shaped by the heightened strategic importance of the region, utilization of (and competition over) strategic natural resources, and impacts of global change and globalization upon the region. This paper investigates the character of this relationship over time and argues that, in addition to negative impacts (or side-effects) of globalization and climate change, positive developments also have emerged that make the Circumpolar North an interesting and relevant area in world politics. The latter include the growing geostrategic importance of the region, the scientific view of the North as a "laboratory for scientific research," the diversity of nature and cultures found in circumpolar regions, the growing emphasis on innovations in governance and co-management, and finally the fact that the North might now be (or soon become) a model for good governance.