Arctic Policy of the United States: An Historical Survey

Abstract

Because Alaska is not contiguous with the other continental United States, the United States was slow to develop a coherent, comprehensive Arctic policy until late in the twentieth century, a policy which continues to evolve. For American policy leaders, Alaska was remote and of minimal consideration. The discovery of the largest oil deposit in North America at Prudhoe Bay in 1968, coincident with the rise of the national environmental movement, generated new appreciation of the significance of the Arctic to the United States, and new policy initiatives. The United States worked with the Law of the Sea conferences at the United Nations to formulate its Arctic interests, which it expressed chiefly through the Arctic Council. Today US Arctic policy is directed toward issues of sovereignty and Arctic sea commerce, new resource development, and the impacts of global climate change. The United States has committed significant resources to scientific analysis of Arctic conditions and potential development, a commitment likely to continue into the long-range future.