This book effectively presents a perspective not usually heard in discussions of global warming and the Arctic. * SciTech Book News *
This is a timely and topical book addressing the geopolitical future of the Arctic in a time of dramatic climate change. . . . It will be useful to residents of the north and scientists who work there, policy makers, and businesses with Arctic activities. * Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research *
Zellen has written a book that will make us think, and for that, his contribution should be lauded and welcomed as a source of important discussion among students and scholars of northern studies and northern policy makers alike. * ARCTIC *
Timely and intriguing. ... Zellen aims high and touches upon a wide range of highly interesting approaches on how to grasp and analyse the challenges and opportunities in the region. One could argue that this leads to a lack of analytical depth, but at the same time this wide scope offers its audience easy access, insight and plenty of food for thought into a wide range of pressing topics within the area of post cold war international relations. The book is a central contribution to the debate on the future of the Arctic. * Polar Record *
Zellen deserves credit for providing another perspective on the Arctic's situation where most of the literature is only concerned with the negative impacts of climate change. * Security and Defense Studies Review *
The strength of the book lies in its treatment of the surge of activities by the circumpolar states in the 2000s in response to the predicted decline in sea-ice coverage. For example, the need for information on the position of the continental shelf has resulted in the present race by states to map the Arctic oceanbed, in a search for evidence to put before the International Seabed Authority (ISA) under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). This explains the recently updated Arctic policies of Canada and the US, and Russia's dramatic flag-planting escapades at the North Pole in 2007. On these issues the book is commendably up-todate, and we are provided with over 50 pages of endnotes and bibliography (including many websites) for further reference. * British Journal of Canadian Studies *
The authors challenge some specific perspectives; most notably, yours. Should you be one of the many who don't live in Alaska, the frozen north is just that, and not much else. But for those who reside there, it's their neighborhood, their livelihood, and their home. A scientific look at just where global warming is going to leave us adds a foreboding sense of introspection for more than just those standing on the doorstep of climate change. * The Green Life *
