IN ADDITION to references in the endnotes, the following is a selection of relatively recent publications available in libraries or bookstores and other sources that provide more in-depth analysis of the many issues touched on in this book. For information on recent events, press releases and official documents, the best sources are official government websites, along with those of the Arctic Council, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami and the Inuit Circumpolar Council. Media archives are available online for the CBC, the BBC, Canada’s Globe and Mail and National Post, the New York Times and London’s Times and Guardian. Coverage of current local news is easily accessed on the Web from Nunavut’s Nunatsiaq News, Greenland’s Sermitsiaq News and a number of Alaskan newspapers. Two other sources of particular significance are the Canadian Library of Parliament, which provides updated reports on the status and chronology of events for Arctic sovereignty, and the Canadian American Strategic Review (CASR), which offers detailed descriptions of current military status and procurements of the circumpolar countries. For accurate and updated scientific reports on climate change, see the 2004 report of the UN-sponsored Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, http://www.ipcc.ch/, and its four-part compendium published in 2009. An additional source for recent scientific data is the NASA Earth Observatory website, http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/arctic/.
The following is by no means a comprehensive list, but one that provides a variety of interesting reading.
Interpreting History
Wade Davis, The Wayfinders: Why Ancient Wisdom Matters in the Modern World (Toronto: House of Anansi Press, 2009). A compelling argument why our present way of life falls short of human potential.
Margaret MacMillan, The Uses and Abuses of History (Toronto: Penguin Canada, 2008), offers important insights into how history should and should not be used to examine current situations—critical for anyone reading or writing history.
John Ralston Saul, The Unconscious Civilization, reprint (Toronto: Anansi Press, 2008). Winner of the Governor General’s Award, this insightful book provides a compelling argument on how corporatism developed a stranglehold on many Western democracies—a must-read.
Ronald Wright, An Illustrated Short History of Progress (Toronto: Anansi Press, 2006). A stimulating discourse that relates the rise and fall of past civilizations with a look to the future.
Arctic History
Lydia T. Black, Russians in Alaska, 1732–1867 (Fairbanks: University of Alaska Press, 2004). An exceptionally well-researched history of Russian settlements in Alaska and events leading up to purchase by the United States.
Shelagh D. Grant, Arctic Justice: On Trial for Murder, Pond Inlet, 1923 (Montreal/ Kingston: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2002). An unusual sequence of events illustrates the difficulties of administering justice in the Arctic Islands to ensure Canada was fulfilling the criteria required to secure its title to the Arctic Islands .
Stephen Haycox, Alaska: An American Colony (Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2002). A well-grounded and detailed history of Alaska from the Russian era to the 1990s.
Robert McGhee, The Last Imaginary Place: A Human History of the Arctic World (Toronto: Key Porter, 2005). An excellent history of the circumpolar world told in the context of an archaeologist’s own work and travels throughout the Arctic—another must-read.
Michael F. Robinson, The Coldest Crucible: Arctic Exploration and American Culture (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2006). A critical insight into the effect of polar exploration on American culture.
Marjolaine Saint-Pierre, author, translated by William Barr, Joseph-Elzéar Bernier 1852–1934: Champion of Canadian Arctic Sovereignty (Montreal: Baraka Books, 2009). At last, a full-length biography of the first Canadian assigned the task of asserting Arctic sovereignty.
Kirsten A. Seaver, The Frozen Echo: Greenland and the Exploration of North America ca A.D. 1000–1500 (Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 1996). This expansive study of early Norse settlement in Greenland offers some controversial conclusions.
Richard Vaughan, The Arctic: A History, rev. ed. (Gloucestershire, UK: History Press, 2008). An exceptional history of the circumpolar world filled with precise details, maps and illustrations not readily available elsewhere. Equally important is Vaughan’s Northwest Greenland: A History (Orono, ME: University of Maine Press, 1991).
Glyn Williams, Arctic Labyrinth: The Quest for the Northwest Passage (Toronto: Viking Canada, 2009). This recent contribution to the history of Arctic exploration is comprehensive, well-illustrated and supported by exemplary research.
Arctic Sovereignty
Michael Byers, Who Owns the Arctic? Understanding Sovereignty Disputes in the North (Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre, 2009), by the Canada Research Chair in Global Politics and International Law at the University of British Columbia. This book is written with candour and designed to dispel confusion surrounding current Arctic sovereignty issues.
Ken S. Coates, P. Whitney Lackenbauer, William R. Morrison and Greg Poelzer, Arctic Front: Defending Canada in the Far North (Toronto: Thomas Allen Publishers, 2008), written by three historians and a political scientist. This critical examination of the Canadian government’s policies in the Arctic and Subarctic is well worth reading.
Arctic Anthropology and Archaeology
Hugh Brody, The Other Side of Eden: Hunters, Farmers and the Shaping of the World (New York: North Point Press, 2001). Fascinating analyses of Inuit and other hunting cultures compared to early European settlers.
Robert McGhee, Ancient People of the Arctic (Vancouver: UBC Press, 1997). A well-illustrated history of the migrations and culture of the Palaeo-Eskimos in the North American Arctic.
David Morrison and Georges-Hébert Germain, Inuit: Glimpses of an Arctic Past (Hull, QC: Canadian Museum of Civilization, 1995). This handsomely illustrated book focuses on the history of the Copper Inuit in the central Arctic.
Peter Schledermann, Voices in Stone: A Personal Journey into the Arctic Past (Calgary: University of Calgary Press, 1996), places Dorset and Thule archaeological findings within the narrative of his own experiences; an enjoyable read with interesting photographs.
Climate Change
Alun Anderson, After the Ice: Life, Death and Geopolitics in the New Arctic (New York: HarperCollins, 2009). With a background in biology and science journalism, Anderson examines the winners and losers in the rapidly changing Arctic by combining history of science, politics and business.
Al Gore, Our Choice: A Plan to Solve the Climate Crisis (Emmaus, PA: Rodale, 2009). This time without exaggeration, the latest work by former vice-president Gore focuses more on the means available to address the problem and is illustrated by an exceptional collection of photographs.
James Hoggan with contributions by Richard Littlemore, Climate Cover-up:The Crusade to Deny Global Warming (Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre, 2009). An insider’s view of how the energy industry fuelled a phony debate on climate change.
Henry Pollack, A World Without Ice (New York: Avery Publishers, 2009). This compelling argument by a renowned scientist affirms the consensus view that climate change is not only real but has a potential for catastrophic consequences.
The North in Canadian Identity
Sherrill Grace, Canada and the Idea of North (Montreal/ Kingston: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2002). An outstanding study of literature, film and art, which reveals how Canadians have integrated the North into their identity.
Renée Hulan, Northern Experience and the Myths of Canadian Culture (McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2003). In contrast to Grace’s book, Hulan offers a convincing and sometimes disquieting argument that questions whether Canada is truly a northern nation and Canadians a northern people. The two should be read together.
Canadian Politics and Government
Michael Byers, Intent for a Nation: A Relentless Optimistic Manifesto for Canada’s Role in the World (Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre, 2007). Note especially Chap. 6 “Climate Change,” Chap. 7 “A True North Strong and Free” and Chap. 8 “Canada-U.S. Military Relations.”
Donald J. Savoie, Governing from the Centre: The Concentration of Power in Canadian Politics (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1999). A critical perspective which should be read in conjunction with the same author’s Court Government and the Collapse of Accountability in Canada and the United States (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2008).
American Foreign Policy
Gail Osherenko and Oran R. Young, The Age of the Arctic: Hot Conflicts and Cold Realities (Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2005). An American perspective on the many influences affecting military, economic, social and political actions in the Arctic, calling for the creation of an International Arctic Science Committee.
Walter LaFeber, The American Age: United States Foreign Policy at Home and Abroad 1750 to the Present, volumes 1 and 2, 2nd edition (New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 1994). This classic, now updated to the 1900s, is very readable and yet comprehensive, analytical and highlighted with political cartoons— an excellent introduction to the history of American foreign policy.
Stephen R. Weissman, A Culture of Deference: Congress’s Failure of Leadership in Foreign Policy (New York: Basic Books, 1995). A disquieting insight into the influence of lobbyists and self-interest groups on Congressional decisions related to foreign affairs.
Canadian-American Relations
Elizabeth B. Elliot-Meisel, Arctic Diplomacy: Canada and the Northwest Passage (New York: Peter Lang, 1998). An unbiased interpretation of events, supported by impeccable research.
Nancy Fogelson, Arctic Exploration & International Relations, 1920–1932 (Fairbanks: University of Alaska Press, 1992). A detailed study of Canadian and American competing interests in the Arctic and diplomatic initiatives during the first quarter of the 20th century.
Norman Hillmer and J.L. Granatstein, For Better or Worse: Canada and the United States in the Twenty-First Century, 2nd ed. (Toronto: Nelson Education Publishers, 2006). An excellent narrative of events and consequences of Canadian-American relations, particularly during World War II and the Cold War.
Arctic Security
Joseph T. Jockel, Security to the North: Canada-U.S. Defense Relations in the 1990s (East Lansing, MI: Michigan State University Press, 1991). An American perspective on Canada-U.S. military cooperation in the Arctic.
Andrew Richter, Avoiding Armageddon: Canadian Military Strategy and Nuclear Weapons, 1950 –63 (Vancouver: UBC Press, 2002). Historical review of the Cold War years from a Canadian viewpoint.
Senator Bill Rompkey, Chair, Canada’s Arctic Waters: Role of the Canadian Coast Guard, Report of the Standing Senate Committee on Fisheries and Oceans (Ottawa: Government Publishing, December 2009). An extensive survey of Canada’s coast guard capabilities and sovereignty-related issues, with recommendations that include temporarily arming the ice breakers until patrol ships are available to enforce Canadian regulations.
International Law
Antony Anghie, Imperialism, Sovereignty and the Making of International Law (Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2005). A broad international perspective on the evolution of international law resulting from wars and imperialism.
Michael Byers, Custom, Power and the Power of Rules (Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1999), argues that international law is primarily driven by world powers, most recently by the United States.
L.C. Green and Olive P. Dickason, The Law of Nations and the New World (Edmonton: University of Alberta Press, 1989). Best overall history on how European laws affected indigenous peoples of the New World.
Donald R. Rothwell, The Polar Regions and the Development of International Law (Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1996). Valuable source for a factual history of events related to the Arctic and Antarctic regions, concluding with the impact of polar regions on the evolution of international law.
Matthew N. Shaw, International Law, 5th ed. (Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2003). An encyclopaedic reference work covering anything one might wish to know about the history and current status of international law.
Inuit Culture and Aboriginal Rights
Erik Anderson, ed., Canada’s Relationship with Inuit: A History of Policy and Program Development (Ottawa: Indian Affairs and Northern Development, 2009). A government publication which provides accurate details of various Inuit land claims agreements.
Natalia Loukacheva, The Arctic Promise: Legal and Political Autonomy of Greenland and Nunavut (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2007). A well-researched history of the Inuit struggle for recognition of their aboriginal rights to self-government in Canada and Greenland.
Robert MacPherson, New Owners in Their Own Land: Minerals and Inuit Land Claims (Calgary: University of Calgary Press, 2003). A detailed narrative of Inuit success in gaining ownership and co-management rights to lands with mineral potential.
Mark Nuttall, Protecting the Arctic: Indigenous Peoples and Cultural Survival (New York: Routledge, 1998). An in-depth study of the effect of the modern world on Inuit culture in Greenland.
Barry Scott Zellen, Breaking the Ice: From Land Claims to Tribal Sovereignty in the Arctic (Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2008). A detailed narrative of Inuit and northern Amerindians’ struggle for control over their traditional lands and rights to self-government in Alaska and northern Canada.