Reluctant Conquest

A compelling history of U.S. involvement in and toward the Arctic from the American Revolution through the acquisition of Alaska to the present day
 
What drives American foreign relations in the Arctic? It is difficult to give a unified answer to this question because most histories of the region are divided between the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, Asian and European strategic interests, or federal government and Indigenous peoples’ activities, making it difficult to understand the connections among the environmental challenges, scientific understandings, strategic calculations, and governance relationships. Most Americans do not think of their country as an Arctic power, yet it is a region where the United States has had important ties throughout its history.
 
In a sweeping study, from the founding of the country through the acquisition of Alaska to the present, this book considers American relations across the circumpolar North, incorporating discussions of economics, national security, and science that are conventionally separated. Kathryn C. Lavelle argues that it is impossible to understand U.S. policy without a knowledge of American political development and of how scientific understandings have grown alongside studies of climate and other environmental connections. This book has important implications for future American policy with respect to traditional national security and political economy in addition to climate change and environmental cooperation.