In presenting a paper on my phd research at the british library, i considered how multifaceted, performative ceremonies of possession which have historically served to effectively occupy space continue to be used in the canadian arctic to justify and legitimise sovereignty claims over the north. Engaging, thoroughly researched and timely, this book will redefine north americans understanding of the arctic in terms of sovereign rights and responsibilities. Based on shelagh grants groundbreaking archival research and drawing on her reputation as a leading historian in the field, polar imperative is a compelling overview of the historical claims of sovereignty over this continents polar regions. There appear to be few internationally contentious issues that canada faces regarding its claims of sovereignty over its arctic landmasses, including its archipelago, aside from a minor challenge concerning hans island. In an effort to possess sovereignty over the arctic and insure canadians are indeed using it, chars acts as a visual marker and material flagpole through which canada can assert its sovereignty over the arctic. Ceremonies of possession, science, and sovereignty in the.
Inuit agree that asserting and defending canadian sovereignty in the arctic requires taking our military responsibilities seriously, as well as. A solid, well written and well researched history of how sovereignty issues have evolved in the north american arctic. New security network in the works as world powers turn north. What exactly do we mean by canadian arctic sovereignty and is it at risk.
Prime minister harper has recently stated that, canada has a choice when it comes to defending our sovereignty over the arctic. Unlike international governance specified for antarctica by treaty, arctic governance is a composite of national sovereignty and the multilateral arctic council in which the five coastal states join three arctic states finland, iceland, and sweden without coastal access to the arctic ocean, and representatives of six indigenous peoples. The arctic belongs to all the people around the world as no nation has sovereignty over it. What emerges is a vision for the arctic in which cooperation, not conflict, prevails, and where the sovereignty of individual nations is exercised for the benefit of. In 2008, mary simon, the national president of inuit tapiriit kanatami, canadas national inuit organization, embarked on a crosscanada speaking tour to explain to canadians that. In the highly readable book who owns the arctic, michael byers, a leading arctic expert and international. The arctic consists of land, internal waters, territorial seas, exclusive economic zones eezs and high seas above the arctic circle 66 degrees 33 minutes north latitude. Canadas claims to the arctic canada is the worlds second largest circumpolar country. Centre for military, security and strategic studies.
Grant follows human occupation of the region from its. Arctic sovereignty and security in a climatechanging world. Buy the paperback book who owns the arctic understanding sovereignty disputes in the northunderstanding sovereignty and. Defending our sovereignty in the arctic introduction the true north, strong and freea line from our national anthem, and a rallying cry for canadian patriots immediately calls to mind a vast, frozen expanse, a land that most canadians will never visit. Arctic sovereignty videos and latest news articles.
Resolving arctic sovereignty from a scandinavian perspective. The arctic belongs to canada the conservative canadian government, under prime minister harper, is pushing for an arctic policy that places the threat to canadian sovereignty in the foreground. While recent accounts of the topic place much emphasis on climate change or a new geopolitics of the region, the history of the inuit circumpolar council icc and arctic politics reaches back much further in time. Understanding sovereignty disputes in the north by michael byers will get your blood boiling if. Arctic sovereignty and security in a climatechanging world 3 executive summary in may of this year, about 200 kilometres north of the arctic circle, representatives from the five coastal states of the arctic gathered in the small town of ilulissat, greenland to discuss the future of the north. A hardhitting, timely, and provocative book about the history and future of the. As climate change transforms the polar regions, this book seeks to explore how the. Resources economical aspect social sustainability current use of the arctic denmark on arctic. Part i march 15, 2011 march 15, 2011 coha only a few short weeks ago, a u. Understanding sovereignty disputes in the north by michael byers will get your blood boiling if you believe, as i do, that the northwest passage is canadian and not an international waterway. He is combining programs to militarize the arctic along with a push for legal claims and is building up this. So said chinese rear admiral yin zhuo, in comments relayed by the official china news service on. All land, internal waters, territorial seas and eezs in the arctic are under the jurisdiction of one of the eight arctic coastal states. As canadians we tend to take our sovereignty over arctic as a given, but it hasnt.
Free shipping and pickup in store on eligible orders. Canadas arctic sovereignty is on thin ice now magazine. Who owns the trillions of dollars of oil and gas beneath the arctic ocean. The arctic is indeed part of our history, as the prime minister noted, and a robust understanding of previous sovereignty and security thinking, policy, and practices should inform our assessment of policy options, probable future scenarios, and the feasibility of proposed courses of action. And, in an age of rapid climate change, how do we protect the fragile arctic environment while seizing the economic opportunities presented by the rapidly. Canada heats up rhetoric over claims to north pole. With passion and sharp words, arctic front confronts canadas longstanding.
The data can be used to define the boundaries of the continental shelf in the arctic ocean and will part of the canadas case to the united. A history of canadas arctic sovereignty pigott, peter on. Pascal poirier articulates the first claim to national sovereignty over arctic territory based on meridians of longitude, arguing that canada should make a formal declaration of possession of the lands and islands situated in the north of the dominion, and extending to the. The economist offers authoritative insight and opinion on international news, politics, business, finance, science, technology and the connections between them. Governing the north american arctic sovereignty, security, and.
But, while we may not visit it, we have always known that we canadians owned it. Defending canadas arctic sovereignty becomes a political performance through scientific enterprise as much as one facilitated by military, diplomatic and cultural investment. Who owns the arctic understanding sovereignty disputes in the. Nicole, emma, buket, cyan, leah, aisha the artic circle importance of sovereignty over arctic 5 countries that lay claims to arctic territory. With arctic issues once again at the forefront of public debate, this invaluable. Two new books, both of which draw on some of this scholarship, give us a stark sense of the discrepancy between canadas huge arctic geography and. In fact, this book is a must read for every canadian who is interested in the history. Contested sovereignty in a changing arctic article pdf available in annals of the american association of geographers 1004 august 2010 with 366 reads how we measure reads. Canada has a choice when it comes to defending our sovereignty over the arctic. If states dont claim their territory, theres a possibility that the global community will say, no, sorry, you missed your chance. In particular, i suggested that scientific research, like. A history of arctic sovereignty in north america, is based on 30 years of research and study of the arctic. As the sochi olympics continue, so does our companion monkey.
Robert huebert, associate director of the centre for strategic and military studies at the university of calgary. The canadian arctic, one of the defining features of our vast landscape. What is the federal governments strategy to support its claims to sovereignty in the high arctic. An analysis of territorial disputes and environmental policy considerations 2009 a. We are deeply concerned, and we are determined to promote and defend the sovereignty of canada in the arctic, baird said in an interview with the danish publication berlingske, published in the native language. Scholars must update their interpretations of the words to be more inclusive if we are to reduce the vulnerability and increase the resilience of arctic societies. Updating our ideas alternative definitions of sovereignty and security are emerging in the postcold war period. International law in crisis by case western reserve journal of international law. Who owns the arctic understanding sovereignty disputes. If you dont want to wait have a look at our ebook offers and start reading.
The political skirmish that followed led to the 1988 arctic cooperation agreement between the two countries. Continental shelf negotiation, mediation and arbitration continental shelves sovereignty laws, regulations and rules. Edited transcript of an interview with peter mansbridge pm and sheila wattclouthier swc about the importance to canada and the inuit of protecting arctic sovereignty. They also assessed the potential security threats and economic opportunities that accompany the possibility of an icefree.
Canadian arctic sovereignty the canadian encyclopedia. Arctic sovereignty by mccormick, ty foreign policy. By taneil george as the arctic continues to melt, concern over who can claim sovereignty over it continues to rise. Defending our sovereignty in the arctic introduction. That would open up sea lanes to shipping and allow for more extensive oil and mineral exploration. It is extremely useful at clarifying the basic issues and providing a stepping stone for further research. The most direct challenge to canadas sovereignty in arctic waters came in 1985, when the u. Canada, norway, russia, denmark via greenland, iceland, sweden, finland and the. Canadian arctic sovereignty essay 1220 words bartleby. Introduction arctic sovereignty has become once again a matter of political importance. In rapidlychanging arctic societies, security can no longer be exclusively about military threats, and sovereignty cannot fixate solely on the rights of states. Arctic sovereignty has become once again a matter of political importance.
Canadian professor honored for arctic sovereignty book. Defending our sovereignty in the arctic centre for. Many will contend that a strict definition of arctic sovereignty refers only to the international legal dispute over the status of the northwest passage. Historical and legal study of sovereignty in the canadian north. Prime minister stephen harper launched his summer tour of the arctic on a familiar refrain, warning that protecting canadas sovereignty is. I predicted that would happen in my book, but it was just ironic it did at this time. A circumpolar inuit declaration on sovereignty in the arctic. Which territorial claims will prevail, and why those of the united states, russia, canada, or the nordic nations. What exactly do we mean by canadian arctic sovereignty and. On 7 november, international inuit day, we expressed unity in our concerns over arctic sovereignty. Arctic sovereignty first priority for north, says harper. The changing climate of arctic regions, concerns about defence capability, interest in mineral exploitation, and greater awareness of the needs of canadas indigenous peoples, have all combined to direct political attention to the north.