What is Ice?

Contesting the Arctic: Politics and Imaginaries in the Circumpolar North starts from the premise that perceptions frame policies. It is a narrative work that examines how state and non-state actors—through forms of industry, indigenous people, and environmental non-government organizations—perceive (1) the Arctic, and (2) their interests in the Arctic region. In turn, these groups must find a shared agenda that accounts for their varied perceptions of the Arctic when determining how govern and administer the region. The book introduces the different interests and motivations of state and non-state actors in the Arctic region, but does not offer recommendations on new approaches to formulating policy.