Arctic Geopolitics, Security, and Governance

Article

from UArctic

An article from Current Developments in Arctic Law, a journal published annually by the UArctic Thematic Network on Arctic Law, in collaboration with the Northern Institute for Environmental and Minority Law at the Arctic Centre, University of Lapland, and the UArctic Chair in Arctic Legal Research and Education.

Open Access

Published: December 2025

Introduction

The Arctic Council, established in 1996, has functioned as the most important mechanism for fostering cooperation in the Arctic region, serving as a high-level forum dedicated to promoting environmental protection and sustainable development. The Council comprises Arctic states, non-Arctic states, and Arctic Indigenous Peoples (Permanent Participants), and operates primarily through consensus, utilizing soft law mechanisms via non-binding agreements. As a facilitator rather than a binding decision-making entity, the council has been able to generate significant policy outputs and scientific assessments, thereby influencing Arctic governance. The effectiveness of the Arctic Council has been studied extensively. However, recent geopolitical changes, most notably the war in Ukraine, have generated further discussions on the end of Arctic exceptionalism and whether the Arctic Council retains its position as an unshakable bedrock of Arctic cooperation. This article discusses the state of the Arctic Council functionality by examining the council’s official documents (i.e. declarations and statements).

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