Coopération politique et intégration régionale en Arctique : naissance, développement et critique d’une région

Abstract

In this paper, we aim that it is the political cooperation driven "from above" in the post-Cold War era that has led to visible regional institutional integration in the Arctic. This institutional integration stems from the Arctic state's desire to protect the environment as a pretext for political cooperation. In a context of increased politicization of the region due to the consequences of climate change, the construction of the Arctic region becomes indeed a way for the Arctic states to gradually pushed out indigenous organizations and external actors from the decision-making bodies. In return, this model of closed governance is challenged by those who are trying to broaden the boundaries of the region with new and more open forms of governance. Political actors at different scales thus converge to build regional governance that is not only multilevel, but also entangled and creates a region with fuzzy borders.

Keywords

• region
• regional integration
• Arctic
• Arctic Council
• international relations
• constructivism