The Arctic Ocean is crossing an environmental threshold from a permanently ice covered to seasonally ice free ocean during summer, with emerging geopolitical interactions of relevance to international peace and stability.

In response, the Arctic Ocean Geopolitics Programme was initiated at SPRI , in September 2008, with the following objectives:

1. enhance cooperation in an international, interdisciplinary and inclusive manner among existing research teams that are focusing on Arctic Ocean geopolitics;
2. build on the "common arctic issues" of sustainable development and environmental protection that have been agreed by the Arctic Council;
3. provide governmental, industry, academic and civil-society audiences with objective analyses of environmental security issues and alternative responses in the Arctic Ocean that promote cooperation and prevent conflict with the North pole as the next pole of peace; and
4. identify lessons from the Arctic Ocean regarding the governance dynamics of nation states and international spaces beyond national jurisdiction.

More information available at: http://www.spri.cam.ac.uk/research/aog/