Arctic Yearbook 2015 | Page 256

256 Arctic Yearbook 2015 states’ interests, the success of bargaining and institution’s regular functioning depends many times on the chair’s personal skills to formulate issues in the fashion agreeable to all parties, to overcome impediments and finding common grounds to proceed. Conceivably, for example, the success of Icelandic chairmanship (2002-2004) drew upon the commitment and dedication of Icelandic SAO chair, Mr. Gunnar Pálsson (Fenge 2013). Impact of domestic politics and international developments As states construct institutions to advance their goals and support their interests, those institutions become a part of a broader matrix of national and foreign policies of their members, oftentimes influenced as much by changes at the domestic level as in the external environment. Similarly, the approach taken towards the Arctic Council as well as countries’ proposed objectives reflect larger national and foreign policy interests of eight Arctic st