Over the Circle

This month, I was honoured to be asked by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington DC to participate in a podcast interview on the subject of China’s developing polar policies, including the recent release of Beijing’s first governmental White Paper on the Arctic. The interview, entitled China’s Polar Push, was recorded… Continue reading ‘China’s Polar Push’ – A CSIS China Power Podcast →

On 26 January, after more than two years of speculation, the government of China announced the publication of its first ever governmental White Paper (Chinese version here), on its Arctic engagement policies, following in the footsteps of its East Asian neighbours, namely Japan and South Korea, who have also released policy documents detailing their emerging… Continue reading How to Define an Arctic Stakeholder? →

With the start of the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in Pyongchang, as well as historic meetings between senior government officials from North and South Korea after months of tensions in the region caused by North Korean missile and nuclear tests and harsh words between US President Donald Trump and DPRK leader Kim Jong-un, many eyes… Continue reading South Korea’s Arctic Journeys →

Over the past year, the questions of sovereignty and secessionism have occupied much of European politics, ranging from the political deadlock over the status of Catalonia within Spain to the ongoing ‘Brexit’ talks between Great Britain and the European Union. However, another North Atlantic sovereignty question has quietly but steadily been gaining momentum in the… Continue reading The Faroe Islands: They Say You Want a Constitution? →

[Author's Note: A previous version of this article appeared in the now-defunct Arctic Journal in February 2016, which outlined North Korea's interest in joining the Svalbard (Spitsbergen) Treaty. Since this article was written, North Korea tested two other nuclear warheads, the most recent test being in September 2017, and conducted several follow-up missile tests. There… Continue reading Flashback: North Korea and the Svalbard Treaty →