The eight Arctic countries, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden, and the United States, are in the initial phases of a profound journey to devise novel mechanisms through which they can collectively assure wise stewardship of the Arctic. This journey is urgent because the Arctic now faces dramatic changes that for the first time in millennia will transform the essential fabric of the region. These changes are not only fundamental, they are happening with unprecedented speed. The Arctic is more deeply affected by the warming of the earth’s atmosphere than almost any other region, notable among the many changes are the fact that Arctic temperatures have increased at twice the rate of the global average and as a result, summer sea ice may well disappear within a decade. The disappearance of the ice will result in dramatic changes, not the least of which is that for the first time in human history, the region will be readily accessible, thereby allowing for exploitation of its abundant resources by a global economy hungry for natural resources.