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The Internationalization of the Circumpolar North: Charting a Course for the 21st Century
by Oran R. Young
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Conclusion
  The goal of this brief account has been to frame a set of issues rather than to offer any simple answers. The outpouring of interest in international cooperation in the Circumpolar North during the last ten to fifteen years is a remarkable occurrence. It has gone far toward putting the high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere - split until recently by Cold War rivalries and segmented by core/periphery relations - onto the map as a distinct region in international society. This is good news, especially for the residents of the Arctic whose interests are often poorly served by the actions of policymakers located in southern capitals. But it has also created a sizable agenda of relatively specific issues relating to the form and content of international cooperation in this region. None of these issues will be simple or easy to solve. Yet none of them appears to be insoluble, especially in a setting in which there is a growing reservoir of good will and a sense of momentum regarding the course of regional affairs. As a result, the Arctic enters the next millennium as an area of great interest for practitioners and scholars interested in international cooperation. The next decade promises to be a period of both continued growth and consolidation with regard to the international relations of the Circumpolar North.
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The Internationalization of the Circumpolar North: Charting a Course for the 21st Century,
by Oran R. Young. http://www.thearctic.is
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