The challenge of Arctic governance

Nord details the continuing challenge of establishing a stable and effective governance for the Arctic. He mentions the Eighth Ministerial Meeting of the Arctic Council in June 2013 when after two years of concerted effort, it looked like the Swedish initiative to expand the number of international observers to the organization would be blocked by the continued opposition of Canada and Russia. It would require a late-night negotiating session brokered by then-US Secretary of State John Kerry to overcome this reluctance and for non-Arctic states, including China, India, and Japan, to become Observer members. Then, four years later, the Arctic Council's forward momentum was threatened by another impasse, when US President Trump refused to assent to a proposed declaration identifying climate change as a major regional threat.