‘Observing’ the Arctic

Edited by Chih Yuan Woon, Associate Professor, Department of Geography, National University of Singapore, Singapore and Klaus Dodds, Professor of Geopolitics, Royal Holloway, University of London, UK

• Contents:Chapter 1: Introduction: The Arctic Council, ‘Asian States’ and the ‘Global ArcticKlaus Dodds and Chih Yuan WoonSection I- Institutional and Geopolitical Context: The Arctic Council, Arctic States, Permanent Participants, Observers Chapter 2: The Arctic Council, Asian Observers and the Role of ‘Shadow Networks’ in the Science-Policy InterfaceSebastian KnechtChapter 3:Scale-Jumping in the Arctic Council: Indigenous Permanent Participants and Asian Observer StatesMia M. BennettChapter 4:The Asian Factor in ‘Arctic Connectivity’: Ecology, Geopolitics and the Social Sanjay ChaturvediSection II- Asia and the Arctic and Arctic States in AsiaChapter 5: The Arctic Policy of China: An Analysis of Russian Academic DiscussionsNadezhda FilimonovaChapter 6:Observed as Arctic: Norwegian and Icelandic Arctic State Identities and the Asian ‘Other’Ingrid A. MedbyChapter 7: Going Beyond the ‘Original Inter-Arctic States’: China Acting in the Arctic and Observing the Arctic Council Nong HongChapter 8:Boosting South Korea in a Changing Arctic Council: Achievements and Challenges Young-Kil ParkChapter 9:India in the Arctic: Civilization Connect and Contemporary PolicyUttam SinhaChapter 10:The Fear of By-Pass: The Flexible Diplomacy of Jacking-up and Stretching out Singapore’s Arctic ConnectionsChih Yuan Woon and Klaus DoddsChapter 11:Afterword Nengye LiuIndex

'What is the role of the global Arctic narrative? Why do Asian states strongly request to join the Arctic Council but are not active in the working groups? This book provides insightful observations on similar important questions, exploring the wider role of Asian states in the Arctic.'--Ping Su, International Arctic Science Committee'Focusing on critical geopolitics and drawing upon case studies from China to India, and from Indigenous Peoples to the Arctic Council, this is an important contribution to the growing body of academic studies focused on Asia in the Arctic. The authors revealed how geographical imaginaries, geopolitical dynamics and regimes of governance meet. Highly recommended for anyone interested in gaining a deeper understanding of the dynamics at play in the Arctic, or in the politics of peripheries and frontiers.'--Aki Tonami, University of Tsukuba, Japan'The increased accessibility of the Arctic as the world's climate warms and sea-ice retreats for a larger portion of the year has made the region something of a hotspot for global geopolitics. This original and lively collection is devoted to how and why Asian states, traditionally not important actors in Arctic affairs, have become focused on and involved in the region. Given the ongoing shift in the world's center of economic gravity towards Asia this is a necessary read for anyone who wants to understand the world of tomorrow.'--John Agnew, UCLA, US and author of Globalization and Sovereignty (2018)