Disputes Over the Far North – The Arctic Northwest Passage

Mgr. Zuzana Pínová

Bachelor's thesis

Abstract:

The thesis focuses on the Arctic Northwest Passage issue from the geo-political rather then sociological point of view. This thesis deals with the Arctic Northwest Passage question as a whole because it is a highly complex matter where various seemingly unrelated factors, as for instance climate and politics, result in a closely related and highly tangled issue. The intention of the thesis is to present possible approaches to the topic and to show the complexity and importance of the Arctic Northwest Passage issue. An introduction into historic and geopolitical context is presented in the first chapter. Only significant events are mentioned with special attention given to those expeditions of which major aim was the Passage itself even though the exploration of the Passage is closely related to the quest for the North Pole. Then it aism to analyze the impact of the climate change on the Northwest Passage region not only from the ecological point of view but also from the perspective of its consequences in the political stage with focus on the American and Canadian dispute over the Passage. Subsequently the strategic value of the region is explained. The role of other countries involved and other related disputes, is also mentioned but only in short, providing the basic information. The last chapter provides a summary of the present situation and the most current events. Also the possible future development of this issue based on scientific prognosis is outlined in the last chapter.

Keywords

arctic, northwest passage, northwestern passage, north west passage, arctic disputes, disputes over the far north, global warming, canadian north

Language used: English

Date on which the thesis was submitted / produced: 26. 5. 2008

Thesis defence

• Date of defence: 4. 6. 2008
• Supervisor: B.A. Jeffrey Alan Vanderziel

Masaryk University

Faculty of Arts

Bachelor programme / field:
Humanities / English Language and Literature