Is the Arctic Council a Modern Day League of Nations? The Influence of Exclusivity, Climate Change and Regional Institutions

The Cold War was a hostile political environment for Arctic cooperation, but the collapse of the Soviet Union provided a window of opportunity that led to the creation of the Arctic Council. As a relatively new international institution, the Arctic Council aims to foster dialogue amongst its permanent eight Arctic states. But amidst the current atmosphere of cooperation, Russia remains an outlier among the Arctic Councils inner circle. It has the most regional operational capabilities and plans for modernizing its existing infrastructure as well as a long history of selfreliance in defence of its Arctic interests. Recently, international concerns over Russias aggressive intentions toward its neighbouring states have risen due to the annexation of the Crimea region from the Ukraine. This has raised questions about its intentions in the Arctic region, and yet, Russia remains committed to regional cooperation through the Arctic Council. By
comparing Arctic relations in the Cold War era to the post-Cold War multilateralism, this project seeks to answer the question: Will Russia continue to cooperate in the Arctic region when it has operational capabilities that surpass its regional allies, a history of self-reliance and a willingness to annex territory from its neighbours?

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