As the Arctic’s biggest annual gathering matures, its focus turns outward

ANALYSIS: For the Arctic Circle Assembly to succeed, what happens in Reykjavík cannot stay in Reykjavik.

Peruse the program of this year’s edition of Arctic Circle, a big conference taking place this week in Reykjavík, Iceland, and it appears no stone will have been left unturned by the time it ends on Sunday. Indeed, certain issues — China’s role in the region, for one — will get turned multiple times. The diversity, as well as the repetitiveness, are due to gathering’s design: most topics to be taken up have been proposed by outside groups and who then present them during panels they organise themselves.