By Cleo Abramian  Recently, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has come under criticism for declaring to a parliamentary committee that he wished to resume commercial whaling in the Antarctic. This comment came in the wake of the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) March ruling to temporarily ban Japan’s annual whale hunt off Antarctica. The ruling

By Libby Leyden-Sussler The Arctic Circle, a nonprofit expeditionary residency program, has just unveiled its latest exhibit “Magnetic North.” The Arctic Circle’s program entails bringing together artists, writers, composers, architects, scientists, and educators from around the globe, for several weeks each year on a voyage across the Svalbard archipelago aboard a specially equipped sailing vessel.

By Erica Dingman Let’s face it. The Arctic is not part of America’s collective imagination. Yes, we recognize that the state of Alaska legitimizes our claim as an Arctic nation, but it’s so terribly far away. Maps of the United States sometimes depict Alaska plopped atop the lower 48, looking a bit like a headless

By Libby Leyden-Sussler A “ripple effect,” the spreading effect or series of consequences caused by a single action, is a very real phenomenon in the sea of international politics. One major foreign policy decision can catapult itself into effecting a whole slew of subsequent actions. Such is the case in the recent event of Canada

In its 68th issue published in November, Monocle Magazine published an in-depth feature on Arctic defense. This article and the accompanying graphics were re-printed with permission from Monocle. ***** Written by Trefor Moss Illustrated by Tokuma The Arctic melt is uncovering more than just resources and trade routes – it is also opening up a

By Erica Dingman Despite ongoing cooperation between Arctic nations – Canada, Denmark (Greenland), Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Russia, and the United States– mainstream rhetoric often implies Arctic stakeholders are teetering on the brink of conflict. To a great extent, this sentiment is reflected in mass media and political banter, inflaming the passions of audiences. This