The Polar North is known to be home to large gas and oil reserves and its positionholds signifi cant trading and military advantages, yet the maritime boundaries of the region remain ill-defined. In the twenty-first century the Arctic is undergoing profound change. As the sea ice melts, a result of accelerating climate change, global governance has become vital. In this first of three volumes, the latest research and analysis from the Fridtjof Nansen Institute, the world's leading Arctic research body, is brought together. Arctic Governance: Law and Politics investigates the legal and political order of the Polar North, focusing on governance structures and the Law of the Sea. Are the current mechanisms at work effective? Are the Arctic states' interests really clashing, or is the atmosphere of a more cooperative nature? Skilfully delineating policy in the region and analysing the consequences of treaty agreements, Arctic Governance's uncovering of a rather orderly 'Arctic race' will become an indispensable contribution to contemporary International Relations concerning the Polar North.

Part I Governance1. The Dynamics of Arctic Development Arild Moe2. Geopolitics and International Governance in the Arctic Øyvind Østerud and Geir Hønneland3. Pros and Cons of Institutional Complexity: The Case of ArcticGovernance Olav Schram Stokke4. The Arctic: Environmental Security or Multi-Level Governance? Olav Schram StokkePart II Law of the Sea5. The Law of the Sea and the Arctic Environment Olav Schram Stokke6. Take it to the Limit: Defining the Continental Shelf in the Arctic Øystein Jensen7. Towards a Legal Regime for Arctic Navigation Øystein Jensen8. The Polar Code and the Law of the Sea Øystein JensenPart III The Arctic Council9. The Arctic Council Between National and InternationalGovernance Svein Vigeland Rottem10. The Arctic Council and Biodiversity Christian Prip11. The Arctic Council: Challenges and Recommendations Svein Vigeland Rottem