Arctic Five

The Arctic Five[1][2][3] are the five littoral states bordering the Arctic Ocean: Canada, The Kingdom of Denmark (through Greenland and the Faroese Islands), Norway, The Russia Federation and the United States of America.[4]

Arctic five states

Competing narratives exist regarding international governance of the Arctic.[5] There is debate over whether the principal actors should be the Arctic Five, the Arctic Council (the Arctic Five plus Finland, Iceland and Sweden) or a larger group of states.[6] In 2008, the Arctic Five concluded the Ilulissat Declaration causing concern among those not invited. The Arctic Council is perhaps the most important of the bodies involved in Arctic governance.[7] In a briefing note prepared for the 2016 Arctic Yearbook, Andreas Kuersten acknowledges a widespread view that the Arctic Five is usurping the Arctic Council's central position, but concludes that the two groups can complement one another in positive ways.[8]

The politics and disputes in the region are not only negotiated through the Arctic Council, but also through bi- and multilateral cooperation as the Ilulissat Declaration within the A5. Another mention worthy example of cooperation outside of the Arctic Council is "the Whiskey War" between two allies, Denmark and Canada. 1973 Denmark and Canada signed a treaty delimitating their border in the water between the east coast of Greenland and the western/northern coast of Canada. The border crossed right through Tartupaluk (Hans Island), a small uninhabited island. The dispute continued for decades, as the Danish and Canadian naval forces planted their national flags and placed a bottle of local liquor on the island occasionally. By 2022 both countries signed a deal splitting the island in half and ending the dispute peacefully.[9]

  1. ^ Klauss Dodds (2014). "Squaring the Circle: The Arctic States, "Law of the Sea," and the Arctic Ocean". Eurasia Border Review. 5 (1): 53. These five states – Canada, Denmark/Greenland, Norway, Russia, and the United States – comprise the Arctic Five.
  2. ^ "Commercial fishing banned in central Arctic Ocean as countries look to build scientific knowledge". July 13, 2021. Archived from the original on April 2, 2022. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  3. ^ "Arctic Five and fishing nations ban fishing". August 27, 2021. Archived from the original on December 9, 2021. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  4. ^ "Iceland". Archived from the original on 2022-04-19. Retrieved 2022-04-02. Iceland is generally not regarded as an Arctic Ocean littoral State as its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) is not adjacent to the high seas portion of the Central Arctic Ocean.
  5. ^ Auerswald 2020, p. 252.
  6. ^ Hønneland 2016, p. 19.
  7. ^ Douglas C. Nord (2016). The Arctic Council: Governance within the Far North. Routledge. p. 16. ISBN 978-1-315-75619-6.
  8. ^ Andreas Kuersten (2016). "Briefing note: The Arctic Five Versus the Arctic Council" (PDF). Thematic Network (TN) on Geopolitics and Security of the University of the Arctic. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-04-11. Retrieved 2022-04-04.
  9. ^ Bueger, Christian; Edmunds, Timothy (2024-05-31), Understanding Maritime Security, Oxford University Press, doi:10.1093/oso/9780197767146.003.0001, ISBN 978-0-19-776714-6, archived from the original on 2024-06-10, retrieved 2024-05-27 pp. 314