The Arctic: Press, Policy and the Arctic Council

Abstract

The changing situation in the Arctic due to global warming has prompted media coverage of a supposed “scramble for the Arctic,” an “Arctic boom,” or an “Arctic Bonanza.” Some even go further, deploying the rhetoric of a “New Cold War,” predicting an inevitable clash between the United States and Russia over interests in the region. The press coverage in both countries over the past decade reflects this new sensationalism. The academic literature unequivocally confirms that the press exerts substantial influence on governmental policy makers, and vice versa. However, while scholars agree that international organizations (IOs) are essential to shaping policies, the existing literature lacks research on media’s relationship with IOs, which often struggle to obtain the coverage and publicity they deserve. The Arctic Council has provided an effective platform for constructive dialogue and decision making involving the USA and Russia. Accordingly, despite disagreements in other regions of the world, the two global powers have managed to cooperate in the Arctic – notwithstanding recent media coverage painting a different and incomplete picture. This project surveys the media coverage of the Arctic over the past decade in Russia and the USA and its correlation with the Arctic Council’s activities. The analysis draws upon two prominent news organizations in Russia (Kommersant and Izvestiya) and two in the USA (the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal), as well as the Arctic Council’s press releases from June 2006 to June 2017. The paper finds that there is a clear disconnect between media coverage of the region and the Arctic Council’s activities. It recommends that the media pay more attention to the organization, particularly since it is the only prominent platform for international cooperation in the Arctic.

Brazil-China Cooperation in the Arctic Region: A Prospective Analysis of a Practical Agenda for Mutual, Local and Community Interests

“…China affirms that it is a "near-Arctic state" because it lies near the Arctic Circle on land. While this identity is largely contested by Arctic states, it is the basis for China's argument of being "an important stakeholder in Arctic affairs" (Rashmi 2019;Ushakova 2021;Yermakova 2020). If a similar identity claim cannot be invoked by Brazil, the country is following Norway's strategy of associating science to Arctic affairs as a precedent to build "a sense of legitimate presence and stakeholdership " (Roberts and Paglia 2016, 894).…”