Keeping the Arctic Council together while strengthening its functioning will likely require a great deal of effort.
At the same time, there are several indications that it will go well, despite current and expected turbulence, as the FNI researcher sees it today.
“I believe that there are still many reasons to be optimistic regarding the Arctic Council’s future, for now. The Council, having survived so far, is due to the cooperation being beneficial for all eight Arctic states. This is a point of reference in itself,” Andreeva points out and continues:
“Another reason for hopefulness is that although the Arctic Council is primarily aimed at research work, the Council has a symbolic position which has so far been important for all Arctic states to hold on to. Cooperation in the Arctic Council also serves as a counterweight to non-Arctic interests in the North and is possibly a forum where such interests can be kept in check.”
“A central optimism cue is also that Arctic Indigenous organisations have a place at the table as permanent participants in the Council, something the Kingdom of Denmark also emphasized when launching its priorities. This is in itself a clear signal that the Arctic is not a ‘no man’s land’ without governance, but a managed region of national and local significance. We will see how Trump’s USA responds to this.”