Stephanie Bowen

 makes clear, the circumpolar Arctic is actively transforming. Quickly rising temperatures are exposing once inaccessible areas, dramatically altering environmental, geopolitical, and economic landscapes. This transformation brings challenges and opportunities that require meaningful engagement and thoughtful leadership. No group understands this better than the Arctic’s Indigenous peoples.

Dozens of Indigenous cultures call the Arctic home

 and have for more than 10,000 years. They speak many different languages and have unique traditions that distinguish them from each other. There are the 

, to name just a few. Some predominantly fish coastal areas, others hunt the forests, and still others are nomadic herders; they reside in rural outposts and urban centers. The Arctic Indigenous peoples are not monolithic, they have rich histories, practices, and livelihoods that distinguish themselves from one another. However, what they do have in common unites them in a shared purpose: protecting their homelands, and in turn, their ways of life. 

The ties that bind Arctic Indigenous peoples run deep, says 

, Head of the Saami Council’s Arctic and Environment Unit. The Saami Council is one of six Indigenous organizations that make up 

Permanent Participants of the Arctic Council

The Saami people have long come together for festivals, cultural exchange, and to tackle challenges. With their homelands falling within the borders of modern-day Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia, they organized their first cross-border conference in 1917 to help strategize political engagement. More recently structuring their work by four core units – 

 – the Saami, independently and together with other Indigenous communities, advocate for their best interests. Those interests have become more urgent as change accelerates and outside interest in the Arctic grows. 

I had the privilege of talking about this and more with Gunn-Britt Retter. I invite you to watch an edited excerpt of our conversation.

Stephanie Bowen is the editor of the Wilson Quarterly. Video edited by Matt Starling.

In this video feature, Wilson Quarterly editor Stephanie Bowen speaks with the head of the Arctic and Environment Unit at the Saami Council about what it means to be Indigenous in the Arctic and how perceptions of Indigenous leadership has changed through the years. 

Indigenous Leadership in the Arctic

Melody Schreiber

Reporter Melody Schreiber turns to the Arctic’s past pandemic experiences to explore the impact of COVID-19. Unique Arctic challenges highlight inequities and innovations, all of which provide learnings relevant for all. 

Setting Our Sights by the Northern Lights

Tromsø, Norway at night from Fløya mountain.

In this introduction to our winter 2022 issue, The New North, Mike Sfraga provides insightful context for the issue, helping readers understand the rapidly shifting dynamics and events since our last Arctic issue five years ago.

The New North

Alaska native and co-chair of the Senate Arctic Caucus, Senator Lisa Murkowski is a respected leader in Arctic policy. In this piece, she makes the case for multiple investments, that she says will strengthen U.S. security, our economy, and more.

U.S. Engagement in the Arctic, Present and Future

Throughout history Maine has had a special relationship with the Arctic. Senator Angus King tells us why it is also well positioned for the Arctic of the future. 

Maine and the Global Arctic

The former president of Iceland makes the case that the Arctic of today is more global in nature than it has ever been. From growing investments and attention from world superpowers to global energy needs, to tourism, he offers plenty of examples to back up his assertion.

The New North is the Global Arctic 

Its population is small – with approximately 57,000 residents, Greenland is one of the least densely populated countries in the world. But, as the Prime Minister posits, they are poised to lead on several fronts, as Greenland, and the Arctic, take prominent positions on the world stage.  

Greenland at the Center of a Changing Arctic

In her efforts to understand conservation from Indigenous and contemporary perspectives, Victoria Qutuuq-Buschman set out across the Arctic to explore how it can be practiced in more equitable and meaningful ways without sacrificing important end goals. 

Arctic Conservation in the Hands of Indigenous Peoples

In this digital experience, the Polar Institute’s Michaela Stith – an emerging Arctic leader in her own right – brings us prescient perspectives from Arctic youth.

Arctic Youth and the Anthropocene

Safeguarding Traditional Indigenous Knowledge

Sweeping changes are taking place in the Arctic. Melting sea ice is making the Arctic more accessible, bringing greater potential for economic development. With new opportunities come new challenges, including a dramatically changed security environment. The Foreign Minister of Denmark provides context and a way forward. 

Reducing Risks in the Arctic During a Time of Increased Volatility

The Russian maritime Arctic stretches more than 160 degrees longitude from the Norwegian-Russian border in the west, to the Bering Strait in the east. It is Russia’s vast northern coastline, an open border to the Arctic Ocean, and a marine space that presents both strategic vulnerabilities and economic opportunities. The entire coastal area is arguably undergoing the most profound changes of any region in today’s Arctic. In this essay, Lawson Brigham identifies key influential drivers of change, and uncertainties that will plausibly determine the region’s future. 

The Russian Maritime Arctic

In the Arctic, an area of the planet experiencing rapid environmental change, there is increasing justification for international collaboration, and countries outside of the Arctic are an integral part of that collaboration. Moreover, while non-Arctic States do not have the same level of influence in the region as the Arctic States do, they have a role in the Arctic’s governance and its future prosperity. Evan Bloom provides a primer.

The Rising Importance of Non-Arctic States in the Arctic

As interest in the Arctic grows, so do economic opportunities and the need for people to nurture them. The director of the Arctic Economic Council piques interest.