Middle Power Alliances and the Arctic: Assessing Korea-UK Pragmatic Idealism

The pressure and temptation for influence over the high North andits trade and resource access, has led non-Arctic Council states toslowly court the “insider” Arctic council members and to positionthemselves as Arctic Council permanent observers. The paper arguesthat new and active middle power diplomacy and cross-cuttingmiddle power alliances such as the emerging relationships betweenthe UK and South Korea on the “green” issue have introduced anumber of dynamics to the Arctic debate which has for a whilebeen dominated by “big power” politics. The paper considers theareas for mutual cooperation between these middle powers andexamines reasons for this. The paper also outlines how each state is“selling” its Arctic identity through various soft power initiativesand through the proactive creation of new climate change organizations, reflecting the expectations of middle power approaches. The paper also identifies potential areas for middle power conflictand issues regarding the sustainability of middle power credibility.