Thesis Proposal
Research Question: How can there be a move beyond traditional security in the
Arctic?
Tentative Thesis Statement: A modified regional security complex allows for a more
holistic, inclusive and comprehensive approach when examining security in the
Arctic.
Chapter Breakdown
Introduction: What is the situation in the Arctic. How has the nation state of
Canada dealt with the question of security in the Arctic, and how they have tried to
incorporate into an international forum through the Arctic Council. How the Inuit
have dealt with their challenges. There will also be an introduction to the Inuit
organizations I will use for my paper along with a rationale of why I am using them.
- Medium size 8 to 12 pages.
Literature Review: This section will provide an overview of the different theories
of security, including traditional security, human security, societal security and
critical security. I will use the Inuit as a point of reference to apply these different
security theories. Throughout this literature review, I will highlight the limitations
of these theories, especially, in reference to the Inuit. I will introduce Barry Buzan’s
regional security complex theory. I will explain the reason why this theory provides
a more comprehensive, holistic and inclusive view of security while incorporating
the critics of Buzan’s framework. Then I will incorporate Bjorn Rutten’s community
and northern security to explain how my paper’s methodology will address security
in the Arctic. Finally, I will reference the Inuit, to make sure the methodology is
sound by incorporating important principles from indigenous methodologies along
with the adjustment of Buzan’s theory to reflect the ITK and ICC Canada as authority
holders. Analyzing Buzan’s securitization and speech act theory to reflect the Inuit
as an authority unit needs to be done in this adjustment. As well as an explanation
of why there needs to be a security complex comparative framework utilized. Large
size -20-25 pages.
1st Case Study – Nation State Security Complex – Large Size – 28 pages:
I will lay out the criteria of how the different primary resources fit into each sector
before each sector’s analysis.
I will apply the following two questions will be asked to each sector:
What are the collective units or principles vying to survive and the existent threat?
How does this meaning of security fit with the northern security definition?
Political Security: There are a number of issues that will be highlighted in this
section, concentrated on Canada’s efforts to secure authority over the region. In
order to do this I will utilize primary sources that secondary analysis has
highlighted. Territorial and boundary concerns will be a major focus of this sector. I
intend to use primary source material on how these issues were positioned by the
government. Also, in this section there needs to be some attention on how Canada
strives to utilize the Arctic Council for political security. The base for this discussion
will start with the Framework Report of Griffiths and Kuptana.
Military Security: The three units I believe I need to focus on for this sector are:
the Canadian Coast Guard, the Canadian Rangers and the Canadian Armed Forces. I
will examine primary sources of how these units are supposed to be utilized and the
reasoning for this. I want to seek out a military officer’s analysis of the security
component of the Canadian government’s policy
Economic Security: There needs to be more research to understand how Canada is
working to create the economic security presented by the Northern Strategy
document and the Statement on the Arctic Foreign Policy. I want to understand
through primary research the role that the Northern Economic Development Agency
plays in all of this. As both policy documents encourage primarily natural resource
development, I will want to conduct a more thorough analysis of this aspect of their
economic security.
Environmental Security: I have been very critical of the environmental security
that the Canadian government has been supporting in terms of policy. I will look at
the programs that have been established for conservation. I will also examine the
international discussions that Minister Cannon said were occurring around climate
change and discuss the climate change adaptation that the political rhetoric has
indicated is happening with the assistance of the Canadian government. My intent is
to do all of my research for this sector using primary sources in relation to these
programs.
Community Security: Both government policy documents state the northern
community as their reference object in terms of many of their initiatives. I need to
explore what the programs such as the Canadian Strategic Infrastructure Fund and the
Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund actually do for the northern community. I will also
look into the federal funding, which is allocated for community social programs and
examine if they are viable.
2nd Case Study – Inuit Security Complex – Large size -28 pages:
Political Security: Primary sources will be used to determine how the Inuit
Circumpolar Council Canada (ICC) and the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK) go about
protecting the Inuit’s right to self-government. I will examine the political sections
of the Circumpolar Inuit Declaration on Sovereignty in the Arctic and relevant
documents for Nunavik, Nunavut and other Canadian Inuit autonomous regions.
Military Security: This section will be almost entirely focused on the Canadian
Rangers. I want to be able to find some primary sources for this section. From all
the research I have done so far on the Rangers, I have found them to be a great unit
for both the nation state and Inuit security complexes and I want to find out why. As
Whitney Lackenbauer is the predominant scholar in this area, some of his work may
be included in terms of the primary resources he utilized.
Economic Security: I will examine different possibilities of Inuit economic
institutions that were mentioned in the Circumpolar Inuit Declaration like the
Nunavut Tungavik Inc. I will explain how the Inuit harvesting economy works.
Further, I will discuss the economic development tied into the resource-based
economy and the agreements set up between the Inuit and the extraction
companies.
Environmental Security: I will start with the environmental section of the
Circumpolar Inuit Declaration and discuss the different environmental policies of
the ITK and the ICC Canada including the Comprehensive Arctic Policy. Next I will
investigate the issue of climate change using primary and secondary research and
analysis. I may also link economic development and its degradation into the
discussion on climate change.
Community Security: I will look at the social and physical capacity of community
security. As I determined from my earlier research, these two elements were the
only two elements of community security that were not addressed in the earlier
sectors of the analysis. I will dissect all the different sections of these two elements
from crime to transportation to housing to social concerns such as suicide
prevention. The research will be done through primary sources like town council
reports; however, some secondary research and analysis might be needed from
reports compiled from local interviews.
Comparison/Discussion: This is the section will contain my thesis’ discussion.
Incorporating my methodology to the results of both my case studies, I will discuss
what it tells me concerning a common meaning of security by determining the
common units and threats in both the security complexes. I will look at the
incorporation of northern security to the common units and threats. Followed by
the reasoning for why the Inuit need to cover all five-security sectors presented and
why the government of Canada cannot cover all sectors. Large Size – 28 pages
Conclusion: I will summarize all the research done, suggest the work that can be
done moving forward from my research, and provide a works cited and an
appendix. Small size – 3 pages.