On June 11, Mershon postdoctoral visiting fellow Eda Ayaydin, Ph.D. was invited to participate in a workshop on Restoring Arctic Exceptionalism, followed by a high-level conference on June 12 in Washington, D.C., hosted by the Quincy Institute and The Arctic Institute. Dr. Ayaydin is a political scientist specializing in Arctic geopolitics, with a particular interest in questions of sovereignty, identity, and international cooperation. This international gathering brought together diplomats, researchers, Indigenous leaders, and policy experts to discuss key pillars of Arctic cooperation, governance, and security. Notable speakers included U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), the Danish and Norwegian ambassadors to the United States, and Greenland’s representative to Washington, D.C.

The Quincy Institute is a think tank research and journalism project that seeks to move the United States foreign policy away from a focus on global hegemony and dominance toward greater coexistence and diplomatic cooperation. Established in 2011, The Arctic Institute is a nonprofit organization headquartered in Washington, D.C. with a team of researchers across the world that are committed to promoting diverse voices, knowledge, and new ideas on Arctic policy.

U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski opened the June 12 conference with a keynote speech advocating for the Arctic as a national priority and for investment in the infrastructure and assets critical to supporting an Arctic strategy. The keynote was followed by an expert panel, Arctic Exceptionalism and Climate Crisis, featuring Edward Alexander, senior Arctic lead of the Woodwell Climate Research Center; Pavel Devyatkin, senior associate & leadership group member the Arctic Institute; Anatol Lieven, director of the Eurasia program at the Quincy Institute; and Jennifer Spence, director of the Arctic Initiative, Belfer Center for Science & International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School. Cynthia Lazaroff, founder of Women Transforming Our Nuclear Legacy, moderated the conversation. Watch the conference.