Canadian Consortium on Human Security

Heather Exner-Pirot is a third-year doctoral candidate in the Department of Political Science at the University of Calgary, working under the supervision of Rob Huebert, Associate Professor of Political Science and Associate Director of the Centre for Military and Strategic Studies. She holds an MA in Political Science from Memorial University and a BA in International Studies from the University of Saskatchewan.

Heather’s research deals with the increasing focus placed on human security in the circumpolar region since the end of the Cold War. Prior to 1989, the Arctic was perceived largely as a theatre of war and relations were oriented from north to south, ie: between Northern territories and their southern capitals. However the last fifteen years have seen a dramatic rise in international cooperation amongst the eight circumpolar states (Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden and the United States) on non-traditional security issues such as the protection of the environment and the preservation of indigenous culture. Notably, relations of an east-west orientation - between the residents of the North themselves - have developed. This has provided Northerners with opportunities to share knowledge and experiences amongst themselves and outside of their national contexts.

Global warming has exacerbated both traditional and human security issues in the North. Melting sea ice has led to more viable shipping through the Northwest Passage and Northern Sea Route as well as yielded greater access to the enormous oil, gas and mineral deposits in the North. This has been followed by renewed claims to sovereignty over passageways and new claims to large swaths of continental shelf to great fanfare by domestic and international media. Far from sparking a new ‘Cold’ war however, the circumpolar nations have demonstrated a desire for cooperation and respect for international law. Foreign policies stress the need for improving human security in the region and progress has been made in addressing common environmental, cultural and economic problems. Given the stakes – territorial sovereignty and control over oil and other resources - conventional international relations theory would have led us to expect the circumpolar states to focus more on traditional security issues in the Arctic than has been the case.

With assistance from the CCHS Fellowship program, Heather’s research will examine Canadian and other circumpolar approaches to security in the Arctic, and will attempt to distinguish the situations in which developed states will pursue human security over traditional security. Whereas human security in the developing world is characterized by struggles for survival, it is more appropriately defined in the circumpolar region, with its mostly rich, liberal member states, by a desire to achieve post-materialist goals such as protecting the environment, improving citizens’ economic opportunities and preserving indigenous culture. While these are undoubtedly important human security goals, they are not immediately critical and mark a significant change in what governments are assuming the responsibility to protect. In that respect, the circumpolar comparative case study may shed light on the security behaviour we can expect to see in a post-modern world.

Policy-oriented goals of Heather’s research will focus on Canada’s sovereignty issues - in particular the dispute over whether the Northwest Passage is in internal or international waters, and what possible solutions to this primarily political problem might look like.

Following a DFAIT internship in Geneva through Project Ploughshares, Heather worked for the University of the Arctic, a cooperative network of universities, colleges, indigenous and other organizations committed to education and research in and for the North. The experience sparked an interest in circumpolar relations. The circumpolar region is one which is regularly ignored, however from a Canadian perspective it offers a legitimate geographical association with like-minded neighbours pursuing common goals and values in a world increasingly dominated by regional organizations. The importance of the region will only increase as economic activities in the North become more viable. Heather believes that the opportunity still exists to ensure development is undertaken responsibly and sustainably, and to the benefit of the region’s inhabitants.

Heather was awarded a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada doctoral fellowship in 2007. She can be reached at hexner (at) ucalgary.ca

Recent Papers/Conference Presentations:

Exner-Pirot, Heather. “What’s at Stake in the Sovereignty Debate?”, presented at the Association of Canadian Universities for Northern Studies Conference, Saskatoon, SK, October, 2007.

Exner, Heather. “The Northern Dimension of Canadian Foreign Policy”, presented at the Society for Military and Strategic Studies Conference, University of Calgary, February, 2006.