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Welcome to the archives of Arctic Deeply. While we paused regular publication of the site on September 15, 2017, and transitioned some of our coverage to Oceans Deeply, we are happy to serve as an ongoing public resource on the Arctic. We hope you’ll enjoy the reporting and analysis that was produced by our dedicated community of editors contributors.
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Exploring geopolitical and security issues in the Arctic, including national and Indigenous perspectives, as well as non-traditional views on security, such as cultural security, economic security and environmental security.
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Russia sometimes behaves badly, but Arctic politics shows us there is a way to work multilaterally with the country, writes Andrew Chater, an expert in Arctic governance with the Polar Research and Policy Initiative, a U.K. think-tank.
Lukas Trakimavicius
Offshore oil production in Russia’s Arctic waters will be much more challenging than is often acknowledged, writes Lukas Trakimavicius, an intern in the Energy Security Section of NATO’s Emerging Security Challenges Division.
Rob Huebert Associate Professor, the Department of Political Science at the University of Calgary
Justin Trudeau’s Liberals have framed the security threats in the Arctic posed by Russia in the starkest terms seen in more than 30 years, says Rob Huebert, a fellow with the Canadian Global Affairs Institute.
Thousands of asylum seekers crossed the northernmost border into Europe in 2015, cycling across the boundary between Russia and Norway. Their arrival has stirred memories of earlier waves of refugees and traditions of northern hospitality in the Arctic borderland.
Adam Lajeunesse Irving Shipbuilding Chair, Arctic Marine Policy at StFX
Canada plans to upgrade the gear that underpins its Arctic military operations, including satellite links, radar systems and snowmobile fleets, says Adam Lajeunesse, Irving Shipbuilding chair in Arctic marine security at St. Francis Xavier University.
It’s not wise for the U.S. to cede global leadership on curbing carbon emissions while Alaska witnesses the impacts of dramatic warming, says Mike Sfraga of the Woodrow Wilson Center’s Polar Initiative and the University of the Arctic’s Institute for Arctic Policy.
Derek Ritsma Graduate of the Master’s Program in Political Science at York University
From collisions between nuclear-powered submarines to worries about Russia’s floating power plants, Arctic nations have many reasons to make a formal agreement to protect against a nuclear disaster, writes Derek Ritsma, a political science graduate from York University.
Thomas Nilsen, the editor of Norway’s Barents Observer, recently learned he has been barred from entering Russia. He vows that won’t stop his widely read Arctic publication from covering tough issues across the border.
Longstanding friendly relations between the two countries have become frosty over the past few years. To understand why, we spoke to two experts at the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Washington.
In the face of growing concerns about Russia’s recent demonstrations of military might in the Arctic, the Russian leader used a conference in Arkhangelsk as a platform to present a message of peace and cooperation.
A big Arctic conference about to start may help Russia thaw icy relationships with its European neighbors, says George Soroka, a lecturer at Harvard University and author of “The Political Economy of Russia’s Reimagined Arctic.”
Theodore Karasik Adjunct Fellow, Lexington Institute
Alexander Murinson Faculty Member, BAU International University
The Arctic is of growing geopolitical importance, and not just for Arctic nations. The interests of the monarchies of the Arabian Peninsula are also at play, say Theodore Karasik of the Lexington Institute and Alexander Murinson of NATO Defense College.
Vladimir Putin wants Russia to be viewed once again as a great power, and an active Arctic presence may help achieve that, says George Soroka, a political scientist at Harvard University.
Adam Lajeunesse Irving Shipbuilding Chair, Arctic Marine Policy at StFX
Whitney Lackenbauer Professor of History and Co-director, Centre on Foreign Policy
Russia is not looking to carve up the circumpolar North and the region is not in the midst of an arms race, writes Adam Lajeunesse and P. Whitney Lackenbauer.
Marc Lanteigne Senior Lecturer, Centre for Defence and Security Studies
The practice of countries ‘checking their grievances at the door’ during Arctic diplomacy is unlikely to get easier as Russia remilitarizes its northern regions, writes Marc Lanteigne.
Mia Bennett National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow, University of California
It’s economic development, rather than military aggression, that drives Russia’s growing activity in the Arctic, writes Mia Bennett, a research fellow in the Department of Geography at UCLA.
Aurel Braun Professor of International Relations and Political Science, University of Toronto
Stephen Blank Senior Fellow for Russia, American Foreign Policy Council
Canada’s relatively weak Arctic capabilities only creates temptations for a Russia that is both unstable and opportunistic, warn Aurel Braun and Stephen Blank for Canada’s Macdonald-Laurier Institute.
Katherine Weingartner is an ICF contractor for the United States Global Change Research Program where she supports the development of the National Climate Assessment.
From “Christmas treeplomacy” to friendly disputes over whether Santa Claus would call Canada, Greenland or Lapland home, there are many seasonal reminders of how we’re all connected – across borders and among social groups.
Mia Bennett National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow, University of California
Reactions across the Arctic will diverge significantly over Donald Trump’s plans to name Rex Tillerson as U.S. secretary of state, writes Mia Bennett, a research fellow in the Department of Geography at UCLA.
Andreas Raspotnik Analyst on E.U. Arctic Policy, Arctic Shipping and International Law at the Arctic Institute
This year, 2016, could very well go down in history as the European Union’s “Arctic Year,” with the various institutions launching several Arctic policy statements, writes Andreas Raspotnik in this commentary.
Nils Andreassen Executive Director, Institute of the North
The U.S. has elected a new president, but Alaska’s priorities remain unchanged. Now is the time for Arctic experts, advisers and regional leaders to help the new administration, writes the Institute of the North’s Nils Andreassen.
On early Wednesday morning, Donald J. Trump was elected president of the United States, logging a victory against Hillary Clinton that surprised many. What will it mean for the Arctic?
Michael Byers Canada Research Chair in Global Politics and International Law, University of British Columbia
Canada and the U.S. should update the 1988 agreement they reached on the Northwest Passage to recognize both countries’ interests in security and transit.
A new book identifies the policy challenges facing the Canadian government. John Higginbotham, a former public servant who co-edited the book, hopes the collection will boost discussion on the future of Canada’s Arctic agenda.
Adam Lajeunesse Irving Shipbuilding Chair, Arctic Marine Policy at StFX
What did the Chinese government really mean when it published a guidebook to shipping through the Northwest Passage – and is it really a threat to Canadian sovereignty, asks Arctic security expert Adam Lajeunesse.
Long enriched by its offshore oil supplies, Norway is still looking to expand its operations into Arctic waters. Industry researcher Helge Ryggvik explains how the country can still be seen as an environmental pioneer – and why it may struggle to remain one.
HIGH NORTH NEWS – With Prime Minister Trudeau heading south, instead of north, and a cruise ship crossing the Northwest Passage, is Operation Nanook more or less relevant than before?
Just over 1 percent of U.S. Arctic waters have been surveyed to modern standards. In fact, some depth measurements on nautical charts date back to Captain Cook’s time. Here’s what it takes to bring those maps into the modern age.
Benjamin Schaller Ph.D. Candidate and Research Fellow, the Centre for Peace Studies at the Arctic University of Norway
As Russia steps up its military activities in the Arctic, Cold War narratives have returned. But the region is just one playing field for Russia’s geopolitical games with the West – understanding that is vital for cooperation in the High North to continue.
Thomas F. Pedersen Professor of Paleoclimatology and Marine Geochemistry, the University of Victoria
The three North American heads of state met in June to tackle the shared challenge of climate change. Climate expert Thomas F. Pedersen explains why the Arctic is the key piece of that puzzle and why their new action plan stops one step short.
As sea ice declines, thousands of Pacific walrus are hauling out along the Alaskan coast, where low-flying aircraft can spook herds and trigger deadly stampedes. The Federal Aviation Administration hopes to change that.
Andreas Østhagen Senior Fellow and Leadership Group Member, the Arctic Institute
Even when tensions grew between Russia and the West, cooperation between the various coast guards stayed intact, largely because of the many tasks they carry out, writes the Arctic Institute’s Andreas Østhagen.
Rob Huebert Associate Professor, the Department of Political Science at the University of Calgary
The communique that came out of the NATO summit in Warsaw last week puts distance between Russia and the seven other Arctic nations and points to limited cooperation on Arctic matters in the future, says Rob Huebert, an expert on Arctic security.
Various Authors
When ambassadors and high commissioners set off on a whirlwind tour of Canada’s northern region, they traveled thousands of kilometers from one end of the country to the other. We asked a few of them to send us a postcard from the trip.
Barneo, a Russian-operated research camp on Arctic ice, hosts hundreds of North Pole-bound visitors every spring. But its future, thanks to challenging ice conditions and rising Norway-Russia tensions, may be in jeopardy.
With Russia adding to its icebreaker fleet, revitalizing its Arctic bases and boosting its military activities in the Arctic, many are asking whether Russia is a threat to Arctic security.
HIGH NORTH NEWS: The cold political climate between the East and the West is hurting cooperation in academia. It has become almost impossible for U.S. researchers to get visas to travel to Russia for conferences and meetings.
Colonel Pierre Leblanc (retired) Former Commander, Joint Task Force North
THE HILL TIMES: Resolute Bay is ideally positioned as a base for Canadian security operations in the Arctic, writes Pierre LeBlanc, former commander of Canadian Forces Northern Area.
Margaret Williams Managing Director, World Wildlife Fund’s U.S. Arctic Program
When Nordic leaders meet with President Obama in Washington, D.C., this week, they have the opportunity to address some of the Arctic’s pressing challenges and put the region on the path to a sustainable “blue economy.”
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