Author: Over the Circle

This new book about the evolving dimensions of security in the Arctic brings together some of the leading specialists in and about the region, examining the ideas of 'security' from numerous angles including aspects of state power and military capabilities but also from the viewpoint of indigenous persons as well as various regional, local and… Continue reading Book Announcement: Routledge Handbook of Arctic Security →

Although much recent international focus on, and some American ire about, non-Arctic states in the circumpolar north has focused on China’s emerging Arctic policies, Beijing is hardly alone in seeking an expanded regional presence despite a lack of far-northern geography. In addition to some of China’s neighbours, including Japan, South Korea and Singapore, many European… Continue reading ‘Anfangen ist leicht, Beharren eine Kunst’: Germany’s Deepening Arctic Engagement →

[This post was co-written by OtC editors Marc Lanteigne and Mingming Shi]  At first, the story read like something out of a fanciful Monopoly game. US President Donald Trump, according to a recent article [paywall] in the Wall Street Journal, had repeatedly stated an interest in purchasing Greenland from Denmark and had asked aides to look… Continue reading ‘No Sale’: How Talk of a US Purchase of Greenland Reflected Arctic Anxieties →

Canada will be returning to the polls on 21 October and just before the election date was confirmed, the government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau quietly published a long-awaited, and according to some commentators, long-delayed, updated set of policies for the Canadian North. The main element of the policy documentation, the Arctic and Northern Policy Framework,… Continue reading On the Eve of an Election Call, Canada Revisits its Arctic Policies →

Under the administration of Donald Trump, US Arctic policy has experienced wild swings ranging between near-neglect and a more recent and rapid focus on countering perceived great power competition from China and Russia. At the same time, the US has sought to make a concerted effort towards avoiding the issue of climate change in the… Continue reading Greenland: The United States’ Fantasy Island →