... the vast majority of experts involved in studying Arctic issues were unanimous in their opinion that the potential for conflict, let alone the threat of direct military confrontation in the region, was very insignificant, as all the countries of the Arctic Five (Russia, USA, Canada, Norway, Denmark) were interested in the prioritized development of cooperation. Nevertheless, it was widely recognized that despite little if any possibility of growing tension in the Arctic on its own account, other non-regional conflicts ...
... with Russia. In this case Washington may act as the leader of a process of conciliation and use the accumulated experience of bilateral and multilateral cooperation in the region to build a mutually advantageous dialogue. Or it can choose to make the Arctic a platform on which the USA and the countries of Europe will try to throw down a challenge to Russia as part of the struggle with the crisis in Ukraine. In this case Arctic cooperation will unfortunately become a hostage to the geopolitical disagreements between Russia and the West.
1
. Arctic challenges, UI Stockholm, Sweden. January 16, 2015....
The Arctic region remains a frozen treasure that everybody wants to lay hands on. In Russia, when we speak about the Arctic region, we mean oil exploitation. The scope of the discussion should be broader and more ... ... Fishery’s science and policy expert shares his views with RIAC.
In April 2015 the chairmanship of the Arctic Council goes to the USA. What are the main difficulties the U.S. is likely to face? How does the USA account for the climate change program in the ...
On January 20-21, the Norwegian city of Tromsø once again was the venue for the international conference "Arctic Frontiers 2015" devoted to development issues in the Arctic region. With relations between Russia and the West at a low point due to the Ukraine crisis, questions arise if their future cooperation in the Arctic can be made possible in a full-fledged format. We met with RIAC Member
Andrey Zagorsky
, Director of IMEMO Department of Disarmament ...
Interview
We asked
David Benton
of the US Arctic Research Commission to comment on international cooperation in the North-Pacific, and to give his perspective on international ... ... for waters beyond the jurisdiction of the coastal nations.
Most of the countries around the North Pacific Rim – Japan, Russia, Canada and the United States have very robust fishery management regimes in terms of the scientific assessment of stocks ...
... of its territory which amounted to 1.2 million sq km. It was an unsuccessful bid due to a lack of evidence, but it has been resumed and is now in progress through a very long-application procedure (decades, not months). To add more umph to the bid, Russia even put a titanium flag on the Arctic's seabed with a mini-submarine in 2007 (USA Today, 2007). In much of the Western press this venture was criticised as 'too 15th century', albeit forgetting the US flag on the Moon even though technically the outer space is more explored than depths of earth's seas. Also,...
... usually thought to have a more aggressive stance, which can be seen from the recommendations to the central government that are made in the studies, carried out by scholars. And there is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that manages relations with related Arctic countries, it usually tries to avoid sharp statements in order not to provoke countries like the USA, Canada and Russia, that are involved in this issue as well.[11]
China has begun to claim a legitimate role in the Arctic as part of what is commonly being referred to as its ‘northern strategy’. In March 2010, a Rear Admiral Yin Zhuo of the PLA Navy ...
At the same time as the Pentagon released its first Arctic Strategy with the goal of protecting U.S. interests in the region and saving the region’s environment, Russian officials, academics, businesses and environmentalists are preparing for an international conference, “The Arctic: Region of Development and Cooperation,” organized by the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC) and the Russian ...
Possible Scenarios
The Arctic region is turning into an area of protracted geopolitical rivalry. This rivalry ... ... area of international security, with new challenges and opportunities emerging for Russia.
The Arctic is becoming a new area of NATO’s influence, an area where security... ... The Cold Response of 2012 became the largest exercise in recent years, with 16.3 thousand servicemen from 15 countries taking part in it (10 thousand in 2006, 8.5 thousand...
... water area. The severity of this problem is blocked by the fact that most of the Arctic Ocean is covered by ice all year round. However, should the Arctic ice start melting (or, rather, speculations around this issue), the situation could get worse.
Refusal by the UN to recognize the continental shelf of the Arctic Ocean sought-for by Russia narrows the waters for the Russian Northern Fleet. Rivalry at a strategic level would threaten the implementation of START-3 and make Moscow and Washington less willing to compromise. Therefore, the Russian side should consider a strategy of interaction ...
