Moscow Plays Hard Ball in the High North
(EDM) The message from Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to his Norwegian counterpart, Ine Marie Eriksen Søreide, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Spitsbergen Treaty was rude even by…
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Arctic
31 posts
Postcolonial polar cities? New indigenous and cosmopolitan urbanness in the Arctic
(Acta Borealia) The arrival into geography, and especially urban geography, of a frame of questioning coming from postcolonial studies has contributed to a fascinating debate about what a “postcolonial” city is…
The White Whale Chooses Freedom: Hard Choices in Opposing Russian Dominance in the Arctic
(PONARS Eurasia Policy Memo) Russia’s claims to “Great Power” status may be overblown and even preposterous, but the country is, without a doubt, a great Arctic power. It has more…
Polar Islam: Muslim Communities in Russia’s Arctic Cities
(Co-authored with Sophie Hohmann) This article advances the notion of “Polar Islam” to describe the birth and structuring of Muslim communities in Russia’s Arctic cities. It does not assert that Arctic conditions…
Putin Lauds Arctic Cooperation While Boosting Regional Militarization
(EDM) The fifth Russia-sponsored international forum “The Arctic: Territory of Dialogue” was staged last week (April 9–10), in St. Petersburg, and President Vladimir Putin used the occasion to demonstrate his particular…
U.S. Arctic Policymaking Under Trump and Obama: Implications for Russia and China
(PONARS Eurasia Policy Memo) Arctic policy priorities under the Obama and Trump administrations, though similar in some ways, are marked by distinct differences driven by contrasting governance styles. These differences…
The Sino-Russian partnership in the Arctic
(CPI) In December 2017, the 27 billion dollar Yamal LNG project became operational, the first joint Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)-Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) project to reach fruition and a major Chinese…
Russia Is Profiting Off Global Warming
(VICE) While many parts of the world are struggling from catastrophic effects of climate change, Russia is looking to capitalize on it, with the Kremlin driving a narrative that touts…
Militarization and Nuclearization: The Key Features of the Russian Arctic
(EDM) Taking ownership of and “conquering” the Arctic are themes Russian authorities love to amplify. But sometimes, the harsh Northern reality interferes. The crash of an Mi-8 helicopter in Svalbard…
Putin Demands Improved Russia-US Relations
(EDM) “Big mistake”—that was how Russian President Vladimir Putin recently described the determined efforts in the United States to investigate Russia’s interference in the US elections last year. He characterized…