Arctic Yearbook 2013
Lackenbauer
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Arctic interests warrant careful consideration. Indian scholars and commentators are cognizant of
the changes in the Arctic environment and interested in these changes but there is disagreement
among them about how regional governance in the Arctic should look and what India‘s role should
be. They are suspicious of Arctic littoral states‘ ―narrow‖ national interests and want to strengthen
cooperation and coordination through enhanced multilateral and bilateral relationships. Accordingly,
this article begins to address three main questions. On what grounds do Indian commentators claim
a right to participate in Arctic governance? What are India‘s interests in the region? Finally, what are
India‘s concerns with Arctic governance in its current form and how do these relate to its polar and
foreign policy goals more generally?
Non-Arctic states, including India, have legitimate interests in (and can make substantive
contributions to) the Arctic region. Although the Arctic states‘ sovereignty and sovereign rights to
exclusive economic zones (EEZs) and extended continental shelves are clearly scripted in
international law, other aspects of Arctic governance continue to evolve. Indian political scientist
Sanjay Chaturvedi, a leading international expert on geopolitics and the polar regions, notes that ―the
movers and shapers of Arctic governance discourse in general, and the Arctic Council in particular,
can afford to dismiss or underplay the concerns of ‗outside‘ stakeholders (as the ‗Asian century‘
unfolds in all its complexities) only at the cost of undermining the legitimacy, authority and efficacy
of their efforts.‖ He places equal importance on having Asian actors‘ critiques and actions ―dictated
and driven by a well-informed understanding and analysis of the complex and fluid con
texts
in which
the discourse and practices of Arctic governance are being debated and shaped at present‖ (2012:
240).
Source:
Shyam Saran, ―India‘s stake in Arctic cold war,‖
The Hindu
, 1 February 2012.
http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/indias-stake-in-arctic-cold-war/article2848280.ece