The book North Pacific Perspectives on the Arctic: Looking Far North in Turbulent Times reflects the ongoing work of the North Pacific Arctic Conference (NPAC), with most contributions developed during its 2023 session. The NPAC is an annual expert forum that has been held since 2011, jointly organised by the East-West Center (USA) and the Korea Maritime Institute in Honolulu. The authors of the chapters in the collection are contributors to the NPAC and represent a wide range of expert and regional backgrounds. The editors of the book, Oran R. Young, a Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and one of the world’s leading scholars on international environmental governance and Arctic affairs, and Jong-Deog Kim, President of the Korea Maritime Institute and a leading expert on Arctic policy in Northeast Asia, have brought together an impressive group of contributors. The volume consists of seven chapters that provide a balanced overview of the interconnected aspects of the Arctic agenda, from geopolitics and economics to the lives of Arctic communities, scientific research, and international cooperation. The book attempts to answer the questions: What role does the Arctic play in the evolving global order? In today’s Arctic, how are geopolitics, economics, ecology, science, and local community interests interconnected? Why does the concept of Arctic exceptionalism no longer work? Finally, how can we talk about the Arctic without categorising participants as primary or secondary actors?
The authors agree on a number of issues. First, they all speak from a North Pacific perspective, which offers a fresh, more sober way of looking at the Arctic. At the same time, although they do not consider the Euro-American or North Atlantic perspective sufficient, they do not reject it. It remains an important part of Arctic governance and regional dynamics analysis, which the authors propose to complement with a different understanding from the North Pacific region. A valuable idea that runs through every chapter is that no single perspective is inherently correct. It is important to understand where each perspective comes from, who promotes it, and what goals it serves. For this reason, the book cannot be seen as promoting the North Pacific vision of the Arctic as objectively superior, but rather as inviting readers to consider how non-Arctic perspectives, particularly from East Asia, contribute to a broader understanding of the region and how this perspective can benefit the Arctic.
Secondly, the North Pacific perspective offers a less dramatic and more restrained interpretation of what is happening in the Arctic. In contrast to the widespread Western narrative of growing militarisation, fuelled by alarmist media and some academic publications, the North Pacific states view the situation in the Arctic in a more measured way. Tensions are, of course, acknowledged, but they are seen as localised and caused by external factors, primarily the conflict between Russia and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in Europe. Therefore, the Arctic in this context does not appear as a zone of military threat but rather remains a space for cooperation and dialogue.
North Pacific Perspectives on the Arctic: Looking Far North in Turbulent Times highlights the shifting global balance of power and how it affects the perception of the Arctic. Chapters one, six, and seven explain in detail how the rise of China, the changing role of Russia, and the shifting nature of U.S. global leadership have led to the Arctic being viewed less as a stable, isolated area ruled by the Arctic Five and more as part of the broader world order that faces similar challenges and competition. At the same time, changes in the Arctic are driven not only by geopolitics but also, undeniably, by climate change, which is opening new opportunities and increasing the interest of various actors in the region. Over the past decade, the Arctic Five has gradually lost its monopoly on discussions about the future of the region, revealing the limitations of its narrow approach and internal disagreements. Chapter five also offers a detailed analysis of several examples of overly self-confident decisions by the Arctic Five that did not lead to positive outcomes.
Another notable trend tied to the shifting balance of power and the reorientation of the Arctic, as the authors argue, is the changing character of regional institutionalisation. Instead of relying on formal structures like the Arctic Council, the region is much more effectively governed through flexible and informal mechanisms. Chapter Five illustrates this especially well through the example of the Central Arctic Ocean Fisheries Agreement (CAOFA). Malgorzata Smieszek-Rice compares the 2017 Arctic Science Cooperation Agreement with CAOFA, showing that more inclusive mechanisms involving external actors, such as China, Japan, and the EU, are more resilient. CAOFA effectively functions even during difficult times because both Arctic and non-Arctic actors signed it. This broader participation reduces political interdependence, and the agreement stays outside national jurisdiction because it regulates international waters under maritime law. By contrast, the 2017 Arctic Science Cooperation Agreement has been frozen because it relies on close political cooperation among Arctic states. In Chapter Six, Oran R. Young et al. also emphasise that formalising Arctic cooperation does not automatically make it effective, because long-term cooperation in the region depends more on informal forms of cooperation and inclusion.
Finally, the book offers an important shift in focus from states and state competition in the Arctic to specific areas of cooperation, such as science, ecology, and shipping. This thematic approach allows for a different structuring of Arctic discussions and draws attention to the role of non-state actors, including Indigenous peoples, whose participation becomes more visible within such pragmatic approaches. The book, however, does not deny that any interaction in the region is ultimately tied to national interests. After all, we live in a world of states. But the North Pacific perspective helps move beyond purely geopolitical interpretations of the Arctic.
To conclude, I would note one small point of disagreement. It concerns a brief mention in the first chapter that the Arctic is not immune to so-called black swan events, meaning unforeseen events that could have large-scale political consequences for the region. However, even this short reference, in my view, runs counter to the overall logic of the book. The authors consistently show that changes in the Arctic occur gradually through institutional shifts, evolving narratives, and shifting emphases. A suggestion of a sudden, dramatic scenario seems to distract from the more realistic and pragmatic understanding of the region that the book promotes.
Overall, the book feels like a breath of fresh air in the middle of all the alarmist talk and constant fear that the Arctic has only one direction — growing great power rivalry. Each chapter is a pleasure to read, and it may offer readers who lean towards realism an opportunity to consider an alternative Arctic by presenting a different reality without asserting objectivity or exclusivity of perspective. The many examples provided by the authors also help to highlight those aspects of Arctic cooperation that are unfairly overlooked. The notably optimistic conclusion almost encourages the reader, suggesting that even if the activities of previously central Arctic institutions weaken, there will still be space in the region for more targeted forms of interaction between science and governance. This makes the book especially valuable for political analysts and graduate students approaching Arctic issues from a broader field of international politics.
