BOOK REVIEW: UNFROZEN: THE FIGHT FOR THE FUTURE OF THE ARCTIC
By Mia Bennett and Klaus Dodds / Yale University Press
Reviewed by: Jean-Thomas Nicole
The Reviewer Jean-Thomas Nicole is a Policy Advisor with Public Safety Canada. The opinions expressed are those of the author and do not reflect the official policies or positions of Public Safety Canada or the Canadian government.
REVIEW — In Unfrozen: The Fight for the Future of the Arctic, Mia Bennett and Klaus Dodds deliver a compelling and timely exploration of one of the planet’s most rapidly transforming regions. As the Arctic melts—literally and metaphorically, the authors chart the geopolitical, environmental, and cultural upheavals reshaping this once remote frontier into a global hotspot.
Mia M. Bennett is a geographer and Arctic specialist whose research focuses on infrastructure, Indigenous governance, and the geopolitics of remote regions. Her previous work includes Inventing Greenland: Designing an Arctic Nation (2022), which explores how design and development shape Arctic identity and sovereignty, and contributions to Infrastructure and the Remaking of Asia (2022), examining the intersection of geopolitics and infrastructure in emerging regions.
Klaus Dodds is a leading scholar in critical geopolitics and polar studies. He has authored numerous influential books including Geopolitics: A Very Short Introduction, The Arctic: What Everyone Needs to Know, and Border Wars: The Conflicts That Will Define Our Future. His work often bridges academic insight with policy relevance, and he has served as a specialist adviser to both the UK House of Lords and House of Commons on Arctic affairs.
Together, Bennett and Dodds bring a unique blend of field-based research, policy engagement, and interdisciplinary analysis to Unfrozen, making it a useful resource for understanding the Arctic’s strategic future. Bennett and Dodds combine their disciplinary strengths to offer a nuanced and accessible account of the Arctic’s transformation.
The book is rich in detail, from the dramatic loss of sea ice and thawing permafrost to the rise of cruise tourism and the strategic maneuvering of global powers like Russia, China, and the United States. Their writing is both informative and evocative, using analogies such as Greenland losing enough ice to bury Miami under a kilometer of it, making the science of a changing climate digestible for general readers.
At the heart of Unfrozen is a provocative question: Does the Arctic have a future—and if so, what kind? The authors explore this through multiple lenses: environmental degradation, resource exploitation, Indigenous governance, and the erosion of international cooperation. They argue that the Arctic is not just a victim of climate change but also a stage for geopolitical contest and experimentation, where the Anthropocene’s impacts are felt most acutely.
The book, therefore, reframes the Arctic from a remote wilderness to a central theater in global power competition. Russia’s militarization of the Northern Sea route, China’s ambitions through its “Polar Silk Road,” and NATO’s renewed Arctic posture signal a shift toward hard security priorities. The region is no longer peripheral; it is clearly pivotal.
Also, rapid warming is not just an environmental concern, it is a destabilizing force. Melting ice is unlocking access to resources and shipping lanes, but also undermining infrastructure, threatening ecosystems, and accelerating geopolitical friction. The Arctic’s transformation is thus a case study in how climate change multiplies strategic risk.
Bennett and Dodds highlight further the growing influence of Indigenous communities in Arctic governance. These actors are asserting legal and political authority, challenging extractive agendas, and reshaping the narrative around sovereignty and stewardship. Their role is increasingly central to regional stability and legitimacy.
The authors trace the breakdown of Arctic diplomacy, particularly following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The Arctic Council, once a model of peaceful collaboration, is now sidelined. This fragmentation raises the risk of unilateral action, reduced transparency, and increased militarization.
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The Arctic is deeply embedded in global systems—from labor migration and resource markets to transnational crime and shadow fleets. This interconnectedness complicates governance and introduces new vectors for strategic competition, making the region a microcosm of broader global trends.
The book also shines with its attention to the human dimension. Bennett and Dodds highlight the experiences of Indigenous communities like the Inuit and Sami, whose lives are being reshaped by both environmental change and external economic interests. They also touch on unexpected stories, such as Thai migrant workers harvesting cloudberries in Arctic swamps, illustrating the region’s complex and globalized labor dynamics.
What makes Unfrozen particularly powerful is its refusal to romanticize the Arctic. Instead, it presents a sobering portrait of a region caught between melting ice and rising tensions, where cooperation is faltering and extractive ambitions are accelerating. The authors call for renewed attention to Arctic governance and Indigenous rights, framing the region not as a distant wilderness but as a critical part of our shared planetary future.
Bennett and Dodds provide the kind of nuanced, multi-scalar analysis that intelligence professionals, policymakers, and security experts need to understand the Arctic’s evolving role in global affairs. Their work underscores that the Arctic is a bellwether for the future of international cooperation, environmental resilience, and geopolitical stability.
Yet Unfrozen is not merely a climate elegy. It is a geopolitical briefing. Russia, which controls half the Arctic's landmass and two-thirds of its population, emerges as the dominant actor. The Kremlin's pivot eastward post-Ukraine invasion fractures the Arctic Council and redraws the map.
China, meanwhile, asserts itself as a "near-Arctic state," building icebreakers, research stations, and strategic infrastructure. The US, under a second Trump administration, disrupts norms with renewed interest in acquiring Greenland and deploying Space Force assets to Pituffik. NATO's expansion into Finland and Sweden further tightens the strategic vise.
Indigenous peoples are not passive observers either. From the Inuit Circumpolar Council to Sámi parliaments, they assert land rights, resource sovereignty, and cultural continuity. The authors highlight the paradox: climate change enables extraction, which threatens Indigenous lifeways, yet some communities benefit economically from oil, gas, and mining.
The book excels in its treatment of Arctic infrastructure: icebreakers, submarines, spaceports, and submarine cables are dissected with precision. Russia's nuclear-powered fleet, China's dual-use observatories, and the strategic vulnerabilities of undersea cables are explored in depth. The Arctic is not just melting; it is digitizing, militarizing, and fragmenting.
Bennett and Dodds also probe governance: UNCLOS, the Arctic Council, the CAO Fisheries Agreement, and emerging forums like Greenland's Arctic North American Forum. They warn of the erosion of Arctic exceptionalism and the rise of fortress economies, grey-zone tactics, and à la carte diplomacy.
For national security professionals, Unfrozen is essential reading. It offers not only a panoramic view of Arctic transformation but also granular insights into flashpoints: Svalbard sovereignty disputes, Bering Strait naval encounters, and Greenland's geopolitical tug-of-war. The authors blend history, science, and strategy with clarity and urgency.
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