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Closing Thoughts
Taken together, these policy prescriptions should build governing linkages in the Arctic region that
expand, strengthen, and reinforce the current governing structure. The author remains committed to
the Arctic Council serving as the core governing nucleus in the region; however, cooperation does not
know boundaries and cannot remain a regional undertaking. Elegant regimes are not constructed
overnight – ASEAN took a half-century to get where it is today – and Arctic states should take
advantage of the momentum driving interest in the region. Through the same informality and
minimalism that has allowed ASEAN to accumulate regional sway, the Arctic states should work
toward formalizing a nascent “Arctic Way” defined by inclusiveness, non-interference, and peaceful
cooperation.
Conclusion: toward an Arctic way
There is great potential above the Arctic ice, not just below. Within the space of three decades, the
Arctic Council, states, indigenous groups, and epistemic community have done a remarkable job of
creating a robust governing structure. These regimes have the flexibility to grow; yet there has been
an aversion to creating parallel and synergistic governing structures in the region. Instead, loose
cooperative arrangements between states, and a series of non-binding governing agreements, have
come to populate the space. The Arctic community can, and will, do more, and hopefully these actions
will parallel those suggested in this discussion. And while the prescriptions explored serve to reinforce
existing structures and expand regional capabilities, we must recognize that there can be no silver
bullet for the present lack of a cohesive Arctic vision.
This author identifies an “Arctic Way” as the end goal for all stakeholders in the region. Those who
call the Circumpolar North home should work to rise above regional divisions and build a vibrant
identity of inclusiveness and cooperation. An “Arctic Way” vision will live up to the promise the
region holds and capture the spirit and hope – in a word momentum – that has so recently come to
define the Arctic. Returning to the words of David Mitrany, “Peace will not be secured if we organise
the world by what divides it” (Mitrany 1992: 503). The time \