Next volume of the Current Developments in Arctic Law (CDAL) includes a special theme focusing on re-envisioning the future of the Arctic cooperation.

The UArctic Thematic Network on Arctic Law and the
UArctic Chair in Arctic Legal Research and Education are pleased to announce the
call for papers for the 12th volume of the Current Developments in Arctic Law
(2024). Deadline for submissions is 30 October 2024 and the volume will be released
in December 2024.

Special theme of the volume:
A New Cold War? Re-envisioning the Future of Arctic
Cooperation

The obsession with “Arctic
exceptionalism” literally died with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early
2022. The seven western Arctic states immediately ceased cooperation with Russia;
five were already members of NATO at the time, and Finland and Sweden have since
joined the alliance. 

At the same time, Russia has
increasingly strengthened its bilateral alignment with non-Western, non-Artic
states, such as China and the other BRICS countries. In February 2024, Russia
threatened to withdraw from the Arctic Council if its work was not compatible with
Russia’s interests.

Today, the framework that has upheld Arctic
cooperation faces an unusual divide, one with formidable implications for military
security. Against this background, the 12th volume of Current Developments
in Arctic Law seeks contributions focusing on the future of the Arctic
cooperation framework amid the global power dynamics confronting us
today. 

How do we see the upheaval in the avenues for
understanding shared norms in Arctic cooperation? What obstacles do we foresee in
creating a space for dialogue and diplomacy, and how can we overcome them? What are
the challenges in recasting states’ hard-power role as soft-power diplomacy, the
original hallmark of Arctic cooperation? How can we possibly mitigate these? What
challenges do we foresee in the region’s legal developments, such as the application
and implementation of the Central Arctic Ocean Fisheries Agreement and the Arctic
Scientific Cooperation Agreement? As a new Cold War era seemingly looms, can we
regain the mutual confidence nurtured over time whereby the Arctic came to be
regarded as a “zone of peace”?

About Current
Developments in Arctic Law and the volume 12

The
Volume also welcomes contributions beyond the special theme mentioned above. The
expected contributions are short papers on current issues related to Arctic law,
policy, politics, regional and institutional aspects, etc. 

Examples of contributions are short academic articles, review papers,
popularized narratives of research findings, a summary of research or other projects
initiated, conference or seminar reports, analysis of news stories, etc.

The publication is non-peer-reviewed but considered scientific. It is an
open-access publication. 

The ideal length of the
contribution should be no more than 3000 words. However, longer pieces are welcomed,
too. 

The Volume is expected to be released in December
2024.

Send your contributions to
Kamrul Hossain at khossain@ulapland.fi

Deadline: 30 October 2024.