Toward an Arctic Way:
Regimes, Realignments, & the ASEAN Analogue
Reid Lidow
This paper explores the history behind today’s Arctic governance architecture, potential areas for realignments, and the analytical
efficacy of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as a guiding analogue. Calling upon a vast body of scholarly
work on Arctic governing regimes, the author identifies weaknesses and voids limiting the ability of Arctic states and, most critically,
the Arctic Council as the governing nucleus, from harnessing historic regional momentum. Grounded by international relations
theories on regionalism, regional security, functionalism, and international law, the paper serves to instruct both the international
affairs scholar and the regional policy-maker. Where previous papers have looked to the Circumpolar South and the Antarctic
Treaty System as an analogue, the author instead finds value in the ASEAN analogue and the parallel structures, actions, and
passions therein. The paper closes