Over the Circle

This month marked the fifth annual Arctic Circle conference (13-15 October) at the Harpa conference centre in Reykjavík, and as with its previous iterations there was no shortage of topics for discussion and debate from speakers and experts from both within the Arctic regions and from numerous other parts of the world. This year’s event saw… Continue reading Arctic Circle 2017: Expanded Vistas (and a Bigger Tent) →

Published this week by Routledge: China and Nordic Diplomacy, co-edited by Bjørnar Sverdrup-Thygeson, Wrenn Yennie Lindgren and myself. This book examines the distinct relations between China and the five Nordic states, including in the areas of Arctic engagement. Each of the 'Nordic Five' countries has had different historical experiences with China diplomacy. However, under the… Continue reading New Book: China and Nordic Diplomacy →

The next few posts for OtC will be written from Reykjavík, Iceland where the 2017 Arctic Circle conference will be taking place next week. Among the topics prominently featured this year include climate science, energy, infrastructure, networking, scientific cooperation, security, shipping, tourism, trade, and youth issues. Among the keynote speakers for this year's event are… Continue reading Over the (Arctic) Circle →

Iceland will be going back to the polls in three weeks, and after a slow start to the campaign, updated polls, issues and party platforms have begun to make an appearance. A survey [in Icelandic] taken by the news services Fréttablaðið, Stöð 2 and Vísir on 4 October suggested the Left-Greens (VG) remained the most… Continue reading Iceland’s Election: A Week is a Long Time in Politics →