Exploring Gaps in Arctic Governance: Identifying Potential Sources of Conflict and Mitigating Measures
Exploring Gaps in Arctic Governance: Identifying Potential Sources of Conflict and Mitigating Measures is a 2021 RAND report by Benjamin Sacks et al. Together with an interactive map, Potential Drivers of Crises in the Arctic , it explores "six categories of potential conflict catalysts": Russia's central role in Arctic access; Increasing safety and environmental risks; The Arctic as a gray zone; Challenges to the current rules of Arctic governance; China's increased economic and political involvement in the Arctic, and; Uncertainty about Greenland's geopolitical future. The authors identify "three key governance gaps in relation to these catalysts": Limited dialogue and transparency on military issues; Limited capability to execute governance agreements, and; Tension between the growing need for inclusivity and Arctic states' interests. The report finds that "Such gaps do not themselves create conflict but could provide an opportunity or a mo