Karen_A._Mingst,_Ivan_M._Arregu_n-Toft]_Essentia

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T

he Arctic is changing, warming two times faster than the rate of the rest of the

earth. The Arctic ice is melting, opening up new issues and bringing out new

rivalries. A 3,000- mile Northern Sea passage connecting Eu rope and Asia is

now a real ity, at least in the short summer season and with expensive icebreakers;

mineral and petroleum resources once thought unrecoverable now might be com-

mercially viable.

Responding to the need for some kind of management of the Arctic, the Arctic

Council was formed in 1996 with eight members— Canada, Denmark, Finland, Ice-

land, Norway, Rus sia, Sweden, and the United States. But many issues remain

outside the purview of the council, namely, security and military issues. Is this

intergovernmental organ ization (IGO) equipped to manage the dynamic issues fac-

ing the Arctic? Does a relevant international law govern areas like the polar regions,

that were once considered the commons? Do nongovernmental organ izations

(NGOs), which might protect the interests of indigenous peoples living in the polar

regions, have a role?

In this chapter, we explore the role of IGOs, their possibilities and their limitations.

We illustrate the relevance of international law, then show how international law differs

Intergovernmental

organ IzatIons,

InternatIonal law, and

nongovernmental

organ IzatIons