The Canadian Arctic as seen from space. Photo Credit: NASA. Since its inception, much of the discussion about the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) has centered on the United States’s refusal to ratify it which, according to proponents of ratification, has left US interests unsecured in a rapidly warming and … Continue reading UNCLOS in the Arctic: A Treaty for Warmer Waters
Category: Arctic
Crowded Waters: Exploring the Implications of Internationalizing Arctic Security
Ice Camp Sargo was the base camp for the 2016 Ice Exercise (ICEX) involving four nations and 200 participants. The exercise sought to test, research and evaluate operational capabilities in the Arctic region. Photo Credit: US Department of Defense. The Arctic is warming twice as fast as the rest of the planet. Those with stakes … Continue reading Crowded Waters: Exploring the Implications of Internationalizing Arctic Security
Space-Based Solutions for Closing the Arctic Digital Divide
The ISS flies over the Earth at night. Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons. The Arctic is rapidly becoming more accessible due to climate change, bringing with it increased human activity in the form of resource exploration, shipping, tourism, and scientific research. All of this necessitates adequate connectivity capabilities. However, such communications infrastructure development in the polar … Continue reading Space-Based Solutions for Closing the Arctic Digital Divide
The Arctic Is Not All It’s Cracked Up To Be
Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Andrew Krauss prepares to videotape visitors to the Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine USS Alexandria (SSN 757) in the Arctic Ocean on March 17, 2007. Alexandria is taking part in exercise ICEX 07 with the Royal Navy submarine HMS Tireless (SS 88) and the applied physics ice station. The exercise is … Continue reading The Arctic Is Not All It’s Cracked Up To Be
Bringing NATO Into the Fold: A Dilemma for Arctic Security
The amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima passes under the northern lights during exercise Trident Juncture 2018 in the Norwegian Sea, Oct. 26, 2018. The NATO-led exercise is designed to increase interoperability among nations. Photo Credit: Petty Officer 3rd Class Kevin Leitner/US Navy. When many people consider the Arctic, they think not only of its … Continue reading Bringing NATO Into the Fold: A Dilemma for Arctic Security
America Needs an Arctic Strategy
An HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter assigned to the 210th Rescue Squadron, Alaska Air National Guard, and two UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters assigned to the 1-207th Aviation Regiment, Alaska Army Air National Guard, fly over the Los Angeles-class fast attack submarine USS Hampton (SSN 757) during Ice Exercise (ICEX) 2016. Photo Credit: Mass Communication Specialist 2nd … Continue reading America Needs an Arctic Strategy
Beijing-Moscow Relations Will Cool As the Arctic Heats Up
President Putin and President Xi. Photo Credit: AP By: Ezra Shapiro, Columnist In recent years, Russia and China’s growing collaboration on energy and shipping projects in the Arctic has caused some consternation among U.S policymakers. Despite the countries’ current cooperation, Moscow and Beijing’s long-term ambitions are fundamentally at odds with each other. Russia places a … Continue reading Beijing-Moscow Relations Will Cool As the Arctic Heats Up
Changing Arctic Governance and Options for the Arctic Council
The Arctic Council. Photo Credit: U.S. Department of State By: Ashley Postler, Columnist After becoming Arctic Council Chair in 2017, Finland elected to continue the institution’s “process of long-term strategic planning” set in motion under the previous US chairmanship.[i] Toward this effort, the Council will likely consider two priorities: reinforcing the member states’ collective position … Continue reading Changing Arctic Governance and Options for the Arctic Council
China’s Spreading Arctic Interests
The Xue Long (Snow Dragon). Photo Credit: International Polar Foundation By: Ezra Shapiro, Columnist Over the past two decades, and particularly in the last five years, China has steadily expanded its footprint in the Arctic. Receding sea ice is unlocking the region’s economic and geostrategic potential, opening the door to resource, trade and security advantages … Continue reading China’s Spreading Arctic Interests
A “Near-Arctic” Newcomer: China’s Maturing Arctic Strategy
Graphic design for annual Barents Spektakel in Kirkenes, Norway, depicting Chinese characters in celebration of the festival’s 2019 theme: ‘The World’s Northernmost Chinatown’” Photo Credit: Pikene på Broen AS, featured at Crypolitics. By: Ashley Postler, Columnist The globalized nature of climate change—“what happens in the Arctic does not stay in the Arctic”[i]—and the vast economic … Continue reading A “Near-Arctic” Newcomer: China’s Maturing Arctic Strategy