Over the Circle

In the weeks before this month’s Arctic Council Ministerial meeting in Rovaniemi, Finland, one of the ‘Arctic Eight’ members of the organisation endeavoured to highlight its strategic concerns in the circumpolar north, releasing a series of strong signals that this member government was seeking to develop a more overt ‘hard security’ approach to the Arctic in… Continue reading The United States’ Hardening Stance on Arctic Security →

China's expanding Arctic strategies were the main topic of discussion on the 3 May edition of the BBC World Service's news radio programme The Real Story. Marc Lanteigne, editor of OtC (and Associate Professor at UiT: The Arctic University of Norway), joined other Arctic policy researchers from around the region in debating China's Arctic interests… Continue reading On the Air: ‘China’s Arctic Ambitions’ →

For almost two decades, the Russian government sought to redevelop its Arctic regions after a long period of neglect, not only recognising the growing economic importance of Russia’s northernmost lands but also due to concerns about other regional powers seeking to enhance their own presence in the Arctic Ocean. Much international attention has been placed… Continue reading Russia Reinforces its Arctic Policies (With China Alongside) →

A look at Arctic news from around the region. 'The Arctic has Entered an "Unprecedented State," Researchers Warn,' [World Economic Forum] 'At the Edge of the Ice: Deep inside the Arctic Circle, Inuit Hunters Embrace Modern Technology but Preserve a Traditional Way of Life,' [Smithsonian] 'Costs and Reality of Reforming the Arctic Council,' [The Arctic… Continue reading Elsewhere… →

A new article by Marc Lanteigne, editor at OtC, has been published this week by the online journal High North News, which looks at the growing strategic dimension of China's Arctic policies in the wake of the country's first governmental White Paper on the region which was released in January last year. The paper argues… Continue reading New Article: China’s Emerging Strategies in the Arctic →