http://revista.ieee.es/index.php/ieee 307 David López Morales Terrae ultima thule: Cooperation in the Artic region The question facing us in the 21st century is: after its mysteries have been revealed, who does it belong to? And, even more importantly, if it belongs to several States, how can we guarantee peace, security and stability in the region? In this article we have tried to explain why the rules of the game are a sort of institutional balance that is conducive to cooperation. Why do States cooperate in the Arctic when they have tense relations in other regions of the world? We answered this question by carrying out a detailed analysis of the interests at stake and assessing two dimensions of cooperation in the Arctic. Despite the Arctic melt, the region remains a hostile place where any efforts to cooperate are nothing more than “a spectacle and a work for the cursed, which Dante might have held up to the coryphees of his infernal regions”143. Others have seen the Arctic Ocean as an anarchical zone where any attempt at cooperation by States “emerges as a latter day Sisyphean challenge.”144 However, we have demonstrated that the voices that foretell conflict and hear the beating of the war drums are wrong. After assessing the context, variables and balances brought about by the rules of the game, we can confirm our original theory: Cooperation in the Arctic is driven by a combination of: (v) Interests shared by all of the Arctic States. (vi) The need to resolve scientific uncertainty and create public godos. (vii) A flexible institutional body that is capable of adapting itself to the needs of the stakeholders. (viii) And, finally, a favourable international legal framework for all States which guarantees the peaceful resolution of any disputes that arise. A study as to why States cooperate in the Arctic is necessary in a world where global challenges cannot be met without cooperation between States. Still today, the challenges of cooperation remain a latter day Sisyphean challenge. Sisyphus was punished by the gods by being forced to roll an immense boulder up a hill, only to watch it come back to hit him. This punishment could be compared with the inevitability of conflict between States. However, we would like to conclude our article with Albert Camus’ interpretation of the Myth of Sisyphus, where the latter embraces the boulder, accepts his fate and emerges victorious over the gods that condemned him. Similarly, in this universe without a master, where States are condemned to conflict and distrust, cooperation is neither sterile nor futile, but is a world unto itself. Camus concludes his essay as follows: 143 KOLDEWEY, K., The German Arctic Expedition of 1869-1870, Sampson, Low, Marston, Low & Searle, London, 1874. 144 DODDS, op. cit, p.1.
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