The Arctic Region: part of who Alakans are.

• Author: Murkowski, Lisa
• Position: ARCTIC POLICY OP-ED

On June 14, the administration of President Barack Obama sent eight prominent officials to Alaska to discuss their ideas of moving forward in the Arctic--what they are calling their "National Strategy for the Arctic Region." The officials scheduled meetings with State and Native leaders and decided to hold a roundtable open to the public. Going into that event, they may have thought their Alaska visit was a formality, a mere "check the box" exercise when it comes to consultation and coordination with those who have the most at stake, and most interest in, the Arctic Region. What they found, however, was extraordinary and likely not something they'll soon forget: a standing-room only crowd sharing their knowledge of the Arctic for over three hours (and on a beautiful, sunny Friday afternoon, no less). They found that Alaskans take our nation's Arctic future seriously and expect to have a meaningful consultation and coordination process so that they can be a true partner with the federal government. They found that the Arctic is part of who Alaskans are.

Alaskans Know

Alaskans know that the United States is an Arctic Nation because of Alaska. We are right to insist that the State and our Arctic stakeholders play a prominent role in America's Arctic policies. Our limitation, however, is the reality that the Arctic is not just Alaska's backyard. There are seven other nations who are voting members of the Arctic Council. There are four other littoral nations who lay claim to parts of the Arctic as well. The Arctic is an international arena, and that means that federal officials determine the level of engagement within that arena, not Alaska.

That is not to say, however, that Alaska does not have a significant role to play in driving the nation's Arctic agenda. We must, and we do. At the same time, we need to make the Arctic more than just a single-state or regional issue. It must be national in scope and priority in order for the United States, and with it Alaska, to fully benefit from its status as an Arctic Nation. From a policy perspective, that is Alaska's role in the Arctic. In order to get Arctic policies adopted that benefit Alaska, we need them to be recognized as nationally important--and consistently make our case at every opportunity, like at that crowded event. Otherwise, we will continue to bemoan the lack of a US Arctic policy while the rest of the international community moves forward.

Changing Perceptions

Alaskans are well aware...