The “Global Arctic” as a New Geopolitical Context and Method

The term "GlobalArctic" was officially launched at the 2014 Arctic Circle Assembly (see: www.globalarctic.org). The idea for this term was not conceived in a vacuum; rather it was the outcome of a critical analysis on the state of Arctic geopolitics and security in the era of globalization with complex and deeply interdependent ecological, economic, environmental, cultural, political, and societal processes. It is important to note that global impacts in the Arctic are nothing new, since the region has historically been a part of the international system. Further, the discourse of regionalism, “the Arctic as a distinctive region”, of the 1990s is no longer sufficient and does not explain the current state of Arctic geopolitics. This article argues that the term “global Arctic” is not a discourse, but a new research and teaching method, an analytical means to study and examine significant changes both in the Arctic region and globally, as well as the current more complex geopolitical context with deeper and more obvious interdependence.