ABSTRACT
The narrative of the circumpolar Arctic as a zone of peace with a goal of sustainable development took shape in the 1980s. The context of détente and negotiations between the global superpowers, the Soviet Union and the United States, as well as a new, more peaceful direction for Arctic international relations is often attributed to the well-mediated Murmansk speech by Mikhail Gorbachev in 1987. This chapter elaborates on concurrent developments in the 1980s that shed light on why a regional Arctic narrative began to emerge at this particular time. Chief among these is the growing attention on Arctic oil and gas, where the exploitation of offshore resources and regional economic development would require international cooperation. Moreover, away from the media spotlight, Arctic indigenous peoples responded to increasing pressure from both industrial activities and the environmental conservation movement by asserting their voices internationally. Because international regimes were undergoing a process of revision or at an early stage of formation, this provided a window of opportunity to assert ideas of sustainable development and circumpolar cooperation.
