Winner of the 2011 Lionel Gelber Prize Winner of the 2011 J. W. Dafoe Book Prize Nominated for the 2010 Shaughnessy Cohen Prize Nominated for the 2011 Sir John A. Macdonald Prize Nominated for the Lela Common Book Prize for Canadian HistoryBased on Shelagh Grant's years of groundbreaking archival research and drawing on her reputation as a leading historian in the field, Polar Imperative is a compelling overview of the historical claims of sovereignty over the polar regions of North America. It examines the unfolding implications of major climate changes, the impact of resource exploitation on the indigenous peoples, and the current state of play in a high-stakes game for control over the adjacent waters of Alaska, Arctic Canada and Greenland. Engaging, thoroughly researched and timely, this book will redefine North Americans' understanding of the Arctic in terms of sovereign rights and responsibilities.