Dr. Barry Scott Zellen, “Arctic Exceptionalism: Cooperation in a Contested World”

Professor Barry Zellen is a research scholar in the Department of Geography at the University of Connecticut and is a Senior Fellow (Arctic Security) of the Institute of the North.  His recent book is: “Arctic Exceptionalism: Cooperation in a Contested World.”   The Antarctic Treaty System convened the states that have an interest in the area but no legal claims. The United Nations, through its treaties, has been instrumental in setting up international laws that have provided stability for both areas at polar opposites.  Treaties on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Law of the Sea and the IMO Polar Code are the linchpins.  Arctic Exceptionalism is a reflection of inherently cooperating and warfare was the exception. The eight states in the Arctic Council include the US, Russia, Canada, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Finland and Greenland.  The invasion of Ukraine by Russia upended this delicate balance and challenged the stability of Arctic Exceptionalism.