What
My research project questions the world around us to help inspire innovation, increase accountability and encourage cooperation in order to maximize society’s capacity to grow. It will also look aspects of the 21st century grand challenges such as conflict and terrorism, the environment and climate change, minerals and energy supply and energy storage. These grand challenges will be part of this research because they are core thematic elements of the anticipated and perceived interest in, and issues of, the region in current Arctic studies literature, media coverage and political discussions.
Why
The Arctic Council is an institution that is often portrayed as an exclusive club under the direction of its permanent eight Arctic member-states and more scholarship on the institution’s durability in the face of a political crisis is needed. My research aims to explore the circumstances which led to the creation of the Arctic Council and the implications of political disagreements between the permanent member-states of the Arctic Council on the effectiveness and resilience of the institution.
How
My project will involve fieldwork throughout the Arctic region and will involve a combination of archival research and elite level interviews in addition to the use of secondary sources like peer-reviewed journal articles, books, news sources and government, intergovernmental and supranational institution publications. The fieldwork will be conducted in stages throughout 2016 and into the early months of 2017.