The issue is guest-edited by Senior Research Fellow Svein Vigeland Rottem of the Fridtjof Nansen Institute and Associate Professor Marc Jacobsen of the Royal Danish Defence College. Together, they have brought in voices from diplomacy, research, and Indigenous organisations across the Nordic countries and the Arctic region.

"The Arctic Council is under historic pressure," says Rottem. "But it is precisely in times like these that we need it most. This is still the most important forum in the North – where Indigenous representatives, small states and great powers continue to meet."

The special issue includes articles on Indigenous participation, crisis diplomacy, civil security, environmental governance, and Arctic geopolitics. Contributors include Norway’s Arctic ambassador Morten Høglund, ICC Chair Sara Olsvig, and Per Olof Nutti from the Saami Council, alongside scholars from institutions such as DIIS, Ilisimatusarfik, FNI, University of Southern Denmark and the Royal Danish Defence College.

"We wanted to highlight both the Council’s achievements and its vulnerabilities – and why it still matters. Not everything can be solved within the Arctic Council, but there is no better platform for long-term cooperation in the region," Rottem adds.

Read the special issue here (open access).

In this English-language commentary for The Arctic Institute, the guest editors reflect on the key themes of the special issue and why the Arctic Council still matters in turbulent times: The Arctic Council in the Shadow of Geopolitics.