Eric Paglia - Podcast Details

Shows

Polar Geopolitics - Arctic and Antarctic analysis Future of the Arctic Council: Science diplomacy, Arctic exceptionalism and innovative governance in a time of geopolitical turbulenceTwo Arctic Council insiders discuss the unique qualities and key role the Council continues to play even after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine cast it into crisis three years ago. Jennifer Spence, Director of the Arctic Initiative at Harvard’s Belfer Center, and Rolf Rødven, Executive Secretary of the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program, sat down with Polar Geopolitics at the Arctic Frontiers conference for a live podcast recording on the future of the Arctic Council. In the session organized by the Fridtjof Nansen Institute, Polar Geopolitics and Arctic Frontiers, Rødven and Spence argued that science diplomacy genera...

2025-02-2748 min

Polar Geopolitics - Arctic and Antarctic analysis Global gaze on Greenland: Analyzing upcoming elections, security situation and relations with the United States, Denmark, China and the E.U.In the midst of intense international interest in Greenland, general elections have been called for March 11th, with potential geopolitical implications across a range of issues, including independence from the Kingdom of Denmark. To explain the stakes and dynamics of the upcoming election, and analyze regional security in the context of U.S. interest in acquiring Greenland, joining the podcast is Dr. Rasmus Leander Nielsen, head of the Centre for Foreign & Security Policy at the University of Greenland in Nuuk. He also analyzes relations between Copenhagen and Nuuk, as well as Greenland’s geopolitical position and natural resources, which ha...

2025-02-201h 11

Polar Geopolitics - Arctic and Antarctic analysis Greenland’s Future in the Face of Trump’s Advances: Crisis in the Kingdom of DenmarkIndependence or an American acquisition of Greenland would fracture the Kingdom of Denmark as currently constituted. On this episode, associate professor Jon Rahbek-Clemmensen, research director at the Center for Arctic Security Studies at the Royal Danish Defence College, explains how and why Copenhagen intends to keep the Kingdom intact, while also accommodating the interests of Greenlanders and avoiding alienating its closest ally, the United States, at a time of great turbulence in the European security environment. Polar Geopolitics on Twitter / X: @polargeopol Polar Geopolitics YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@PolarGeopolitics Polar Geopolitics on...

2025-01-1933 min

Polar Geopolitics - Arctic and Antarctic analysis Greenland gambit 2.0: Arctic Geopolitics and Donald Trump’s Geographical Imagination, with Prof. Klaus DoddsAn in-depth discussion with Klaus Dodds, professor of Geopolitics at Royal Holloway University of London, on Donald Trump’s latest Greenland gambit and how the incoming US president’s geographical imagination might shape Arctic geopolitics and the liberal international order in an era of great power competition. Polar Geopolitics on Twitter / X: @polargeopol Polar Geopolitics YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@PolarGeopolitics Polar Geopolitics on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/polargeopolitics Polar Geopolitics on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/polargeopolitics/ Polar Geopolitics website: http://www.polargeopolitics.com Pola...

2025-01-1543 min

Polar Geopolitics - Arctic and Antarctic analysis Arctic security, seabed warfare, Russia-China relations and U.S. engagement under Trump: Mathieu Boulègue on the events, issues and upheavals shaping geopolitics for 2025Arctic security, critical undersea infrastructure and Russian strategic calculations are in focus as Mathieu Boulègue joins the podcast to analyze the wider geopolitical consequences of recent events and upheavals in Ukraine, Syria, the Baltic Sea and beyond. Consulting Fellow with the Russia and Eurasia Programme at Chatham House, Boulègue discusses the effects of Russia’s war against Ukraine on its military posture in the Arctic, the introduction of North Korean troops into the war, Russia-China relations and possible collaboration on hybrid activities such as seabed cable sabotage, and how Donald Trump could impact the United States’ increasingly compre...

2024-12-301h 08

Polar Geopolitics - Arctic and Antarctic analysis Cracks in Consensus: Krill, marine conservation and the consequences of CCMALR 43 failures for Antarctic governance and geopoliticsMany observers considered the 43rd annual CCAMLR meeting in Hobart a major disappointment due to the failure to renew important protections on krill fisheries and the continued lack of progress on marine protected areas in the Southern Ocean around Antarctica. Some are even concerned that the breakdown in consensus, centered on China and Russia refusing to extend existing or institute new protection measures, foreshadows greater geopolitical problems infecting Antarctic governance. To analyze the complexities of CCAMLR and what the meeting might portend for the future of the Antarctic Treaty System, Dr. Tony Press from the Institute for Marine and...

2024-11-1842 min

Polar Geopolitics - Arctic and Antarctic analysis Carrots, sticks and the near-Arctic state narrative: China’s influence strategies in the ArcticHow does China exert influence in the Arctic, and has it already peaked? A new in-depth report published by the Wilson Center analyzes Chinese information and influence operations in each of the eight Arctic Council member states. The report’s co-author Adam Lajeunesse, associate professor at St. Francis Xavier University, joins the podcast to explain China’s multifaceted influence strategy in the Arctic and how it has gone about “selling” itself as a “near-Arctic state”—and whether Western observers have been too eager to buy in to this narrative and the ostensible threat China poses to the Arctic order. Dr. Lajeunesse...

2024-10-0441 min

Polar Geopolitics - Arctic and Antarctic analysis Analyzing ATCM 46: Current issues and dynamics in the governance and geopolitics of AntarcticaFrom geopolitical posturing surrounding the status of Belarus and Canada inside the Antarctic Treaty, to diverging views on science, environmental protection and the regulation of tourism, the 46thAntarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting in Kochi, India provided, in an era of great power competition and new constellations within the international system, a snapshot on the current state of affairs in the governance of Antarctica. Dr. Kati Lindström, a researcher at KTH in Stockholm and Estonia’s point of contact to the Antarctic Treaty who participated in ATCM 46 in India this past May, joins the podcast to analyze the outcomes and geo...

2024-09-2741 min

Polar Geopolitics - Arctic and Antarctic analysis Arctic nation, or not? The Geopolitics of Arctic state identityThe eight member states of the Arctic Council each draw upon geography, history and other factors to promote their identity as an Arctic nation, while non-Arctic states seeking influence in the region use different—although sometimes similar—arguments to foster an image of being an Arctic stakeholder or, as in one prominent example, a “near-Arctic state”. The author of the forthcoming book Arctic State Identity – Geography, History and Geopolitical Relations (Manchester U.P. 2025), Dr. Ingrid Medby of Newcastle University, joins the podcast to discuss the processes, geopolitics and inclusion/exclusion dynamics of Arctic state identity construction. Polar Geopolitics...

2024-09-1939 min

Polar Geopolitics - Arctic and Antarctic analysis Spotlight on Svalbard: Realities and myths in a microcosm of Arctic geopoliticsAlthough a unique set of circumstances characterize Svalbard, belonging to Norway under a 1920 treaty, the situation there reflects many of the major trends—and faultlines—in Arctic geopolitics. From science diplomacy and security to geoeconomics and great power competition, the High Arctic archipelago, where both Norway and Russia maintain permanent settlements and an array of non-Arctic states are active through long-term research programs, provides a useful lens for analyzing some of the key issues at stake in the contemporary Arctic. Dr. Andreas Østhagen, Senior Researcher at the Fridtjof Nansen Institute, joins the podcast for a comprehensive discussion that encompasses the n...

2024-08-281h 32

Polar Geopolitics - Arctic and Antarctic analysis Mobilizing Arctic expertise: Seven scientific themes for Arctic Frontiers 2025Science and expert knowledge are pivotal for meeting many of the environmental challenges, economic opportunities and geopolitical imperatives of the contemporary Arctic. The Arctic Frontiers conference reflects this fact through its selection of seven scientific themes that serve as pillars for the annual event held every January in Tromsø, Norway. Not only natural science, the needed expertise ranges from politics and geopolitics, green technologies, indigenous knowledge, history and socials science, geoeconomics, community resilience and climate adaptation. Dr. Jenny Turton, Senior Advisor in charge of developing the science program for Arctic Frontiers, joins the podcast to present the scientific themes f...

2024-06-1733 min

Polar Geopolitics - Arctic and Antarctic analysis Antarctic science or polar oil exploration? Prof. Klaus Dodds on Russia’s grey zone activities in the Weddell SeaReports of Russia’s discovery of huge oil reserves in Antarctic waters has caused concern in some quarters over (frozen) territorial claims and the future of the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty, which permanently bans mining in and around the continent. Prof. Klaus Dodds, whose recent testimony for a UK parliamentary inquiry sparked a media firestorm over Russia’s activities and intentions in Antarctica, joins the podcast to discuss what he sees as classic grey zone tactics where, in this case, scientific research could possibly serve as a pretense for the pursuit of economic and geopolitical inte...

2024-05-1740 min

Polar Geopolitics - Arctic and Antarctic analysis Securitization dynamics: Greenland’s pivotal place in the Arctic security configuration“Greenland is the most dynamic piece in the new Arctic security jigsaw puzzle”, according to a new book that applies the international relations theory of securitization to analyze the security and geopolitics of Greenland and the Arctic. Marc Jacobsen, Ole Wæver and Ulrik Pram Gad, co-editors and authors of Greenland in Arctic Security: (De)securitization Dynamics under Climatic Thaw and Geopolitical Freeze, join the podcast to discuss the configuration of Arctic security and explain how relations between Nuuk, Copenhagen and Washington, as well as issues such as Greenlandic national identity, independence and sovereignty, are strongly influencing the future of th...

2024-04-151h 26

Polar Geopolitics - Arctic and Antarctic analysis From the Barents Sea to the Bering Strait: Arctic geopolitics at the regional and local levelsIn this episode of the Polar Geopolitics podcast, recorded live at the 2024 Arctic Frontiers conference in Tromsø, Norway, host Eric Paglia interviews Andreas Østhagen of the Fridtjof Nansen Institute and Kelsey Frazier from the Ted Stevens Center for Arctic Security Studies. The discussion ranges from global trends affecting the geopolitical position of the Arctic and local security issues specific to Alaska and the Barents Sea region, to the real and anticipated effects of climate change, the challenge of changing sea ice conditions and other maritime issues such as domain awareness, seabed claims and seabed mining, and the pressing need fo...

2024-04-0240 min

Polar Geopolitics - Arctic and Antarctic analysis Northern Flank: Arctic-Baltic security interconnections since the NATO accession of Sweden and FinlandTo analyze the transformed security environment in Northern Europe since the NATO accession of Sweden and Finland, this episode features an interview with Minna Ålander, research fellow at the Finish Institute of International Affairs in Helsinki. The in-depth discussion, at time when the Nordic countries have been engaged with their NATO partners in the major Nordic Response 2024 military exercise, covers the interconnections between the Arctic and Baltic regions from a security standpoint, Nordic and US defense cooperation, the integration of Finland and Sweden into the NATO command structure, Finnish relations with China, and the hybrid warfare tactics that have b...

2024-03-251h 04

Polar Geopolitics - Arctic and Antarctic analysis Ian Bremmer on Antarctica and the geopolitics of the polar regionsDr. Ian Bremmer, president and founder of Eurasia Group and GZERO Media, joins the podcast to discuss Antarctica and the short- and long-term impacts of climate change and the emerging green transition on the geopolitics of the polar regions. Dr. Bremmer, who recently returned from a trip to Antarctica, also explains how the six-decade success story of the Antarctic Treaty System could provide a precedent for the global governance of outer space in the years ahead.

2024-02-0123 min

Polar Geopolitics - Arctic and Antarctic analysis Sustainable development, community resilience and regional security in a globally connected Arctic with Anu Fredrikson, Executive Director of Arctic FrontiersAnu Fredrikson, Executive Director of Arctic Frontiers and former director of the Arctic Economic Council, joins the podcast to discuss sustainable development, economic opportunities and the Green Transition that is taking place in the Arctic alongside structural changes in the regional security environment. With the annual Arctic Frontiers conference coming up in the end of January, Anu Fredrikson also takes up some of the Big Picture themes that will animate discussions in Tromsø, such as Global Actions/Arctic Reactions, Arctic Security-Local Resilience, Navigating Arctic Realities, and Rethinking Arctic Development.

2024-01-0532 min

Polar Geopolitics - Arctic and Antarctic analysis Data cable crossroad or circumpolar chokepoint: The geopolitics of subsea infrastructure in the ArcticThe deployment of subsea data cables across different marine areas of the circumpolar North has become a significant development in discussions of Arctic geopolitics. Meanwhile security concerns over subsea infrastructure have become heightened by recent incidents involving the disruption and destruction of energy pipelines and telecommunication cables in the Baltic Sea. Nima Khorrami, a research associate at the Arctic Institute, joins the podcast to explain why data cables are crucial for the economic development of the Arctic, and how the expansion of subsea infrastructure entails the need for an enhanced security presence in the region, perhaps on the part...

2023-11-1048 min

Polar Geopolitics - Arctic and Antarctic analysis Russia, security and the effects of NATO enlargement in the ArcticThe security situation in the Arctic has changed significantly since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, although the military buildup in the region began well before 2022. Katarzyna Zysk, professor of International Relations and Contemporary History at the Norwegian Institute for Defence Studies, joins the podcast to discuss Russia’s military posture in the Arctic, the effects of NATO enlargement, and the overall geopolitical situation in the region, including the role of China and Russia’s efforts to reach out to other non-Arctic states. Prof. Zysk also explains how various technologies, such as drones and artificial intelligence, will shape the Arctic security envir...

2023-10-0655 min

Polar Geopolitics - Arctic and Antarctic analysis Nuclear risks from Kakhovka Dam destruction and enduring issues surrounding Soviet-era energy infrastructureThe recently destroyed Kakhovka Dam and the nearby Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station are inextricably linked legacies of Soviet energy infrastructure that have become major concerns in the midst of the war in Ukraine. Achim Klüppelberg from the Nuclear Waters project at KTH Royal Institute of Technology is an expert on nuclear energy in Ukraine and Russia, and he joins the podcast to provide an in-depth analysis of the dire situation in the lower-Dnieper region. He also explains the enduring risks and complexities surrounding nuclear energy and infrastructure in the post-Soviet space, including Chernobyl, and discusses an array of n...

2023-06-161h 17

Polar Geopolitics - Arctic and Antarctic analysis Alaska: Energy, security and political economy in the American ArcticThe United States is an Arctic country on account of Alaska, which has for almost 50 years been a major domestic source of oil and natural gas, facilitated by the extensive Trans-Alaska Pipeline System. Alaska has thus been critical for US energy security, as well as national defense due to its close proximity to Russia. However, despite popular perceptions and controversial projects such as Willow, the dominance of the oil industry in Alaska has declined in recent years. Dr. Philip Wight, assistant professor at the University of Alaska at Fairbanks and an expert on Alaska’s energy infrastructure, joins the po...

2023-05-221h 08

Polar Geopolitics - Arctic and Antarctic analysis World stages: Arctic megaconferences as platforms for governance and geopolitical performanceArctic megaconferences like the annual Arctic Frontiers in Tromsø and the Arctic Circle Assembly in Reykjavik have become critical meeting places that literally provide a world stage for the performance of Arctic governance and geopolitics. They have further served a particularly important purpose in the absence of official gatherings during the Arctic Council pause of the past year. Yet how much of what takes place, in public and private, actually influences developments and decision making in the Arctic? Do elaborate PR and public diplomacy activities that characterize conferences affect perceptions of Arctic stakeholders, and are certain voices privileged over o...

2023-02-1534 min

Polar Geopolitics - Arctic and Antarctic analysis Insights on Antarctic governance and geopolitics with former CCAMLR chair Jakob GranitDespite the Covid crisis and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources took certain steps forward on the management of key Southern Ocean fisheries during the recent Swedish CCAMLR chairmanship, which concluded in November at the organization’s annual meeting in Hobart. The creation of new Marine Protected Areas and other environmental protection measures have, however, continued to be blocked by some member states. Dr. Jakob Granit, Director General Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management, joins the podcast to share his experiences and insights from two years as CCAMLR chair on m...

2022-12-1544 min

Polar Geopolitics - Arctic and Antarctic analysis Inside the Arctic Council pause with Finland’s Arctic Ambassador Petteri VuorimäkiAlthough the Arctic Council has remained on pause since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, multilateral interactions and diplomatic activity among senior Arctic officials (excluding representatives of Russia) has by no means come to a complete stop. Meanwhile, some stakeholders, particularly the Permanent Participant indigenous peoples’ organizations in the Arctic Council, see the current pause, even if well justified, as a relative loss of influence over Arctic governance. Finland’s SAO and Ambassador for Arctic Affairs Petteri Vuorimäki joins the podcast to provide insight into the current situation surrounding the Arctic Council, and to discuss Finland’s Arctic agenda as well a...

2022-11-2524 min

Polar Geopolitics - Arctic and Antarctic analysis Looking North for Renewables: Arctic solutions to Europe’s green transitionWith energy and strategic raw materials increasingly at the center of geopolitics, the European Union’s first Arctic ambassador argues that Europe should look to certain areas of the Arctic in implementing its Green New Deal and transition towards renewables. Ambassador Marie-Anne Coninsx, senior associate fellow at the Egmont Institute in Brussels, joins the podcast to discuss a new Egmont report she co-authored with Karen van Loon, “Europe’s Energy and Resource Challenge: The Arctic is Part of the Solution”. She also makes the case for Belgium’s Arctic stakeholder status, while elaborating the country’s long-term engagement in the region.

2022-11-0229 min

Polar Geopolitics - Arctic and Antarctic analysis Arctic Politics present and past: Prof. Oran Young reflects on governance, Gorbachev and the current Arctic Council crisisIn this moment of crisis, Prof. Oran Young shares insights accumulated across four decades, a time during which he laid the foundation for analyzing Arctic politics, and actively promoted governance initiatives in the circumpolar North. He also reflects on the legacy of Mikael Gorbachev, who was instrumental in establishing the idea of the Arctic as a “Zone of Peace”. This episode of the Polar Geopolitics podcast commemorates the 30th anniversary of Prof. Young’s seminal 1992 work, Arctic Politics: Conflict and Cooperation in the Circumpolar North, which largely launched the social scientific study of the Arctic region.

2022-09-2644 min

Polar Geopolitics - Arctic and Antarctic analysis Arctic Council in Crisis: Russia and the governance of the Polar regions in the aftermath of UkraineFacing the most serious crisis since its founding in 1996, the future of the Arctic Council—currently on pause due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine—has become fraught with uncertainty. What role, if any, can Russia possibly play in polar governance institutions if and when the conflict it started eventually subsides? Evan T. Bloom, a Senior Fellow at the Wilson Center’s Polar Institute who was instrumental in the Council’s establishment and evolution during his long career as the top polar official at the U.S. State Department, joins the podcast to discuss Arctic and Antarctic governance in the afterm...

2022-05-0433 min

Polar Geopolitics - Arctic and Antarctic analysis Arctic, Baltic and Beyond: Geopolitics, security and the spectre of a new Cold WarArctic and Russia expert Caroline Kennedy-Pipe, Professor of War Studies at Loughborough University, joins the podcast for a wide-ranging discussion on the implications of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Arctic and Baltic security, Eurasian geopolitics and the liberal international order, as well as the threat of nuclear escalation and the possibility that great power competition between the United States, Russia and China could result in a new Cold War. Prof. Kennedy-Pipe also shares insights on the new UK Arctic military strategy and the lessons and legacies of the Falklands War forty years ago. Support for the Polar Geopolitics po...

2022-04-0949 min

Polar Geopolitics - Arctic and Antarctic analysis Casualties of War? Arctic and Antarctic cooperation and the future of the liberal international order with Prof. Klaus DoddsKlaus Dodds, professor of geopolitics at Royal Holloway University of London and author of the recent book Border Wars: The Conflicts that will Define our Future, joins the podcast to discuss the impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on the Arctic Council and Antarctic Treaty System, on Baltic security and UNCLOS processes, and the ways in which the war has deeply disrupted the liberal international order, and potentially ushered in a new era of de-globalization.

2022-03-1736 min

Polar Geopolitics - Arctic and Antarctic analysis Geopolitical spillover: Analyzing the Arctic implications of Russia’s invasion of UkraineThe tensions in Arctic relations that began after the 2014 Crimea crisis will in all likelihood be greatly exacerbated by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Could the new security situation in Europe, together with the increased military activity in the High North in recent years, lead to an Arctic arms race? Russia and Arctic expert Mathieu Boulègue, a research fellow at the Russia and Eurasia programme at Chatham House, joins the podcast to provide a real time analysis of the war in Ukraine, the new geopolitical reality in Europe, and the potential implications for Arctic security.

2022-02-2532 min

Polar Geopolitics - Arctic and Antarctic analysis Camp Century, the US Army’s under-ice Arctic base: A story of Cold War--and contemporary—geopolitics in GreenlandCamp Century, a 1960s US Army base embedded in the Greenland ice sheet, was not only a High Arctic test site for advanced technologies—including a modular nuclear reactor—and secret military schemes at the height of the Cold War, but also a seminal location for the extraction of ice cores that would become an important baseline for modern climate science. Associate professor Kristian H. Nielsen of Aarhus University, who-coauthored a definitive account of this fascinating chapter of Cold War history, “Camp Century: The Untold Story of America's Secret Arctic Military Base Under the Greenland Ice” (Columbia University Press, 2021), joins th...

2022-02-1639 min

Polar Geopolitics - Arctic and Antarctic analysis EU Arctic Policy and Geopolitics with Amb. Michael MannThe European Union updated its Arctic policy in October with a communication that took a strong stand on climate change—calling for hydrocarbons to be left in the ground—and pronounced its status as an Arctic geopolitical actor that would assert its interests across the circumpolar North. Ambassador Michael Mann, the EU Special Envoy for Arctic Matters, joins the Polar Geopolitics podcast for an in-depth discussion on the multiple dimensions of the European Union’s engagement in the Arctic, from interactions with Russia, China and the United States, to plans for opening an EU office in Greenland, and its ongoin...

2021-12-2046 min

Polar Geopolitics - Arctic and Antarctic analysis Brazil and the Antarctic Geopolitics of South AmericaDespite asserting itself as a regional and global power, Brazil has traditionally taken a back seat to Chile and Argentina in terms of the Antarctic geopolitics of South America. Why has this been the case, and will Brazil continue its somewhat limited engagement relative to the extensive Antarctic programs of its neighbors? Ignacio Javier Cardone, author of the new book "The Antarctic Politics of Brazil: Where the Tropic meets the Pole" joins the Polar Geopolitics podcast to explain the evolution and future prospects of Brazilian activity in Antarctica, as well as the wider Antarctic geopolitics of Argentina, Chile and...

2021-12-0725 min

Polar Geopolitics - Arctic and Antarctic analysis Making the case for the controversial Davis Aerodrome in East AntarcticaAustralia’s plans to build a 2.7 km airstrip and other infrastructure in the ice-free Vestfold Hills near its Davis Station in East Antarctica have been heavily criticized, primarily on environmental grounds. The aerodrome, which Australia contends would improve scientific access to the continent and facilitate search and rescue operations, could also have an array of geopolitical implications. Antarctic legal expert Jeffrey McGee, an associate professor at the University of Tasmania in Hobart who has come out in support of the project, recently co-authored a report for the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, “All-weather aerodrome in Antarctica would be a gamechanger for...

2021-07-1936 min

Polar Geopolitics - Arctic and Antarctic analysis Science and geopolitics in Svalbard: the Ny-Ålesund Research StationHosting scientific facilities representing 12 countries, the Ny-Ålesund Research Station in Svalbard is perhaps the most international location in the Arctic. The former coalmining community, which Norway has over the past 30 years transformed into a leading center of Arctic research, also serves a geopolitical function for many of the states represented there. Associate Prof. Maarten Loonen from the Arctic Center at the University of Gröningen has since the late-1980s been a first-hand witness and participant in Ny-Ålesund’s transformation. Currently the chairman of the Ny-Ålesund Science Managers Committee, Dr. Loonen joins the podcast to discuss the in...

2021-06-1733 min

The Arctic Institute Bookshelf Podcast TAI Bookshelf Podcast - The Art of [Arctic] Podcasting with Eric Paglia (#7-2021)In this week’s TAI Bookshelf Podcast, we talk to Eric Paglia about the art of producing podcasts about the Arctic.

2021-05-1252 min

Polar Geopolitics - Arctic and Antarctic analysis Assessing the future of Arctic shipping in the wake of the Suez Canal incidentCould the incident of the Ever Given running aground in the Suez Canal, disrupting global trade for six days, be a turning point that leads to an expansion of container shipping along the Northern Sea Route and other Arctic passages? Or will the risks and costs associated with Arctic shipping, even when taking climate change and geopolitics into consideration, continue to exceed those of established Europe-Asia routes for decades to come? On this episode, the Polar Geopolitics podcast takes up these and other questions with shipping industry expert Lars Jensen, CEO of Sea Intelligence Consulting in Copenhagen, Denmark.

2021-04-1622 min

Polar Geopolitics - Arctic and Antarctic analysis Interregnum No More: A Realist Perspective on the Geopolitics of the Arctic over the past 40 yearsOn this episode, Prof. Caroline Kennedy-Pipe—an Arctic, Russia and Cold War expert at Loughborough University in England—analyses the emerging great power competition in the Arctic by providing a longer-term perspective on the geopolitical dynamics and developments in the circumpolar North over the past forty years. This period encompasses the close of the Cold War, the rise of international cooperation in the Arctic, and key shifts in the geopolitical position of Russia in the region and the world. Prof. Kennedy-Pipe also reflects on the role of ideology and how differing conceptions of sovereignty influence state actors in the Arct...

2021-03-0133 min

Polar Geopolitics - Arctic and Antarctic analysis Prognosticating U.S. polar policies and geopolitics under the Biden administrationDr. Mike Sfraga, director of the Polar Institute at the Wilson Center in Washington D.C., joins the podcast to discuss the various ways he sees the Biden administration altering American policies and geopolitical positioning in the polar regions. From global issues like climate change and great power competition, to regional and local issues such as renewed U.S. engagement with the Arctic Council, the key role of Greenland, and infrastructural development in his home state of Alaska, Dr. Sfraga analyses how American interests in the Arctic and Antarctic may be pursued over the next four years.

2021-02-2245 min

Polar Geopolitics - Arctic and Antarctic analysis Pandemic 2020 and the polar regions: The geopolitical year in review with Prof. Klaus DoddsThe rise of great power competition in the Arctic, the disruption of Antarctic governance due to COVID-19, and the impact of the coronavirus on vulnerable Arctic communities were some of the notable polar topics covered on this podcast during the course of the pandemic year of 2020. In this year-end review, Klaus Dodds, professor of geopolitics at Royal Holloway University, discusses what he sees as some of the most significant geopolitical aspects of the pandemic in the polar regions and beyond during this extraordinary year in world history.

2020-12-2338 min

Polar Geopolitics - Arctic and Antarctic analysis Beyond the Science Criterion: Reconsidering Antarctic governance in an era of climate changeScience is to a large extent the currency of governance and geopolitics in Antarctica, giving countries that conduct scientific research there a seat at the Antarctic Treaty System table. But should countries—often from the global South—that bear the brunt of the effects of climate-induced geophysical changes in Antarctica be given a greater voice in the ATS, even if they lack the resources to conduct costly research in the southern high latitudes? Similarly, should the influence of ATS states somehow be related to their level of carbon dioxide emissions, which drive the melting of the Antarctic ice sheet? Peder...

2020-12-2127 min

Polar Geopolitics - Arctic and Antarctic analysis China’s polar strategy at a crossroads: Pursue paradigms of the 19th century past, or envision a sustainable futureChina’s increasingly ambitious polar activities have to date largely centered on exerting physical presence in the Arctic and Antarctic, according to Dr. Nengye Liu, an associate professor of international law at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia. In a recent online presentation for China’s polar elite, Dr. Liu recommended that China should abandon such 19th century thinking, which causes anxiety among other stakeholders, and instead embrace a future in which China plays a leading role in combating global environmental change. In this episode of the podcast, Dr. Liu discusses his theoretical framework that could, he asserts, underpin a pote...

2020-10-0832 min

Polar Geopolitics - Arctic and Antarctic analysis Asian engagement in the Arctic: Evolving strategies and activities of Asian Arctic Council observer statesThe admission of China, India, Japan, Singapore and South Korea as observers to the Arctic Council in 2013 seemed a turning point in contemporary Arctic history, with the rapidly increasing engagement of Asian states appearing to signal the arrival of globalization as well as a new era of geopolitics in the High North. But how has it so far played out on the ground and on the ice? To analyze the evolving strategies and activities of the five Asian observer states over the past seven years, Polar Geopolitics is joined by Dr. Mia Bennett, associate professor at the University of...

2020-09-0828 min

Polar Geopolitics - Arctic and Antarctic analysis The return of great power competition: American geopolitical engagement in the Arctic, with D.A.S. Michael J. Murphy of the U.S. State DepartmentThe opening of a US Consulate in Nuuk, Greenland represents the latest in a series of moves that signal a deepening geopolitical engagement in the Arctic by the United States in response to Russian and Chinese advances in the region. To explain the current U.S. policy and strategic outlook on the Arctic, including an in-depth discussion on Greenland, this episode of the podcast features an interview with one of the top American officials on Arctic issues: Michael J. Murphy, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Nordic, Baltic, and Arctic Security Affairs at the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs at...

2020-07-0338 min

Polar Geopolitics - Arctic and Antarctic analysis Governance disrupted: Pandemic impacts on AntarcticaAlthough Antarctica is the only continent without a case of COVID-19, the pandemic has already caused a great deal of disruption to the ATS governance regime, as well as to scientific research and the tourism industry. Some even foresee a shift in Antarctic geopolitics as a result of the coronavirus crisis. To analyze the range of potential impacts of COVID-19 on Antarctica in the short, medium and long term, this episode of Polar Geopolitics features Associate Professor Alan Hemmings, an expert on Antarctic governance and geopolitics at the Gateway Antarctica Centre for Antarctic Studies and Research at the University...

2020-06-0734 min

Polar Geopolitics - Arctic and Antarctic analysis Barents Sea and Svalbard: Norway-Russia relations in an Arctic geopolitical hotspotRussian and Norwegian interests intersect and occasionally collide in the Barents Sea and Svalbard, an Arctic geopolitical hotspot where lucrative fisheries, extensive energy resources and strategic nuclear forces exist in relatively close proximity. To analyze why simmering tensions between Norway and Russia in the Barents-Svalbard region have once again risen to the surface, Polar Geopolitics is joined by Dr. Andreas Østhagen, a senior research fellow at the Fridtjof Nansen Institute and an expert on Arctic geopolitics and the Barents Sea.

2020-05-1830 min

Polar Geopolitics - Arctic and Antarctic analysis Crisis as opportunity: China and coronavirus diplomacy in the ArcticIn part 2 of the interview with Polar Geopolitics, Prof. Ilan Kelman explains how the coronavirus crisis provides an opportunity for actors inside and outside the Arctic to influence policy agendas and reshape the geopolitics of the region. Also in this episode, polar historian Peder Roberts tells of the failed attempt to introduce penguins into northern Norway.

2020-04-0917 min

Polar Geopolitics - Arctic and Antarctic analysis Risks to Arctic Communities from the CoronavirusCommunities in the sparsely populated Arctic already faced significant social, economic and public health challenges, and the specter of COVID-19 spreading to the circumpolar North raises a number of serious concerns. What is more, the widespread disruptions in the wake of the pandemic will hit Northern communities that depend on for instance tourism, international scientific activity and the export of natural resources particularly hard. Ilan Kelman, a Professor of Disasters and Health, joins the podcast to explain how underlying vulnerabilities in Arctic communities could lead to an array of serious consequences in the context of the coronavirus crisis.

2020-03-2628 min

Polar Geopolitics - Arctic and Antarctic analysis Russia, China and the Arctic: Strategic partnership, strategic mistrust?With energy shipments rapidly expanding and apparent personal chemistry between Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping, the alignment of Russian and Chinese interests has caused concern in some capitols and altered the geopolitical calculus in the Arctic. But is this simply an emerging strategic partnership of convenience, which obscures a deeper level of strategic mistrust between two countries that have for centuries oscillated between being allies and adversaries? Ekaterina Klimenko analyzes the currently warming relationship between Russia—the geographic giant of the Arctic, and China—the ambitious Arctic outsider that has a yen to build a ‘polar silk road’ along the nort...

2020-03-0924 min

Polar Geopolitics - Arctic and Antarctic analysis Northern Sea Route: Embodiment of Russia's interests and ambitions in the ArcticThe Northern Sea Route is central to questions of shipping, security, sovereignty, climate change and the exploitation and export of the massive energy reserves in the north of Russia, making the development of the NSR perhaps the most pivotal geopolitical issue in the Arctic this decade. It also represents a window—albeit often less than transparent—into the complexities of Russian domestic politics and the Kremlin’s intentions in the circumpolar North. Ekaterina Klimenko, an expert on Russia and the Arctic at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, joins the Polar Geopolitics podcast to share her wide-ranging analytical insights into t...

2020-02-1328 min

Polar Geopolitics - Arctic and Antarctic analysis The Geopolitics of the "Polar"“The creation of polar identity is ultimately a matter of geopolitics, of the value states see in instruments and symbols that speak to polar rather than Arctic or Antarctic interests,” according to a new article entitled “Is there anything natural about the polar?”. Peder Roberts, co-author of the article, joins the Polar Geopolitics podcast to explain how the labelling of activities, issues and institutions as “polar” has long served a geopolitical purpose for states and other actors seeking to exert influence at the planetary extremes.

2020-01-2815 min

Polar Geopolitics - Arctic and Antarctic analysis Securing the Canadian Arctic with Brigadier General Patrick Carpentier, Commander of Joint Task Force NorthResponsible for all Canadian Armed Forces activity across the vast arc of northern Canada, Joint Task Force North plays a crucial role in safeguarding the North American Arctic. Polar Geopolitics is honored to welcome Brigadier General Patrick Carpentier, Commander of JTFN, for episode 20 of the podcast. BGen Carpentier discusses the main missions of JTFN and the array of challenges Canadian forces face in providing military security, engaging in crisis management and ensuring civilian safety in the Arctic at a time of significant environmental and geopolitical change, as well as increasing human activity in the Far North. He also explains...

2019-12-1020 min

Polar Geopolitics - Arctic and Antarctic analysis Resilient Regime at 60: An international law perspective on the ATSFresh off the 38thmeeting of CCAMLR that once again failed to achieve consensus on additional marine protected areas, the ATS might be seen as showing signs of stress amid escalating great power competition. Associate Prof. Jeffrey McGee, an expert on international law and Antarctica at the University of Tasmania, however, makes the case that the ATS is a resilient regime that 60 years after its signing remains a shining light of global governance for the area south of 60° South. On this episode, Dr. McGee applies his international legal perspective in discussing current Antarctic geopolitics, Australia’s ‘bifocal’ outlook on its neighbo...

2019-11-2130 min

Polar Geopolitics - Arctic and Antarctic analysis ATS under pressure: Dome A, Australia and great power geopolitics in AntarcticaIs the Antarctic Treaty System obsolete, and could it collapse in the near future? Dr. Elizabeth Buchanan of the Australian National University explains why she is concerned that the increasing great power interest and Antarctic activity—ostensibly in the name of science—could jeopardize the almost 60-year-old ATS, and even lead to conflict if the Treaty is not updated to reflect current geopolitical realities. She also discusses Australia’s precarious situation as the state with the largest Antarctic claim (frozen under the ATS), which includes the ‘Dome A’ area where China has recently applied to create a Specially Managed Area aroun...

2019-10-1823 min

Polar Geopolitics - Arctic and Antarctic analysis Deep dive into Ocean and Cryosphere IPCC Report with coordinating lead author Martin SommerkornEnvironmental change in the frozen parts of the planet—the Cryosphere—have implications well beyond the polar regions and motivate much of the increased international interest in the Arctic and Antarctic. To better understand this key driver of scientific research, climate activism and geopolitical calculation, this episode of the podcast takes a deep dive into the just-released landmark IPCC Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate with Martin Sommerkorn, the coordinating lead author of the polar regions chapter of SROCC.

2019-09-3026 min

Polar Geopolitics - Arctic and Antarctic analysis Paul Musgrave on Trump and Greenland in a Global and Historical ContextIn the midst of an escalating diplomatic crisis between the United States and Denmark, international relations expert Prof. Paul Musgrave joins the Polar Geopolitics podcast to provide analysis, insight and an array of perspectives—American, global, historical—on Donald Trump’s interest in buying Greenland, an unfolding story that has sent shockwaves far beyond the Arctic.

2019-08-2332 min

Polar Geopolitics - Arctic and Antarctic analysis Hot Take on Trump's Greenland GambitReports of Donald Trump's interest in the U.S. buying Greenland from Denmark - without doubt the most unexpected and outrageous Arctic news story in recent memory - has attracted ridicule and rapidly morphed into a diplomatic crisis. Associate Professor Jon Rahbek-Clemmensen, an expert on Denmark-Greenland-U.S. relations at the Royal Danish Defense College, joins Polar Geopolitics for an analysis of Trump's Greenland gambit and its wide-ranging ramifications on Arctic geopolitics.

2019-08-2138 min

Polar Geopolitics - Arctic and Antarctic analysis Frozen Claims and Contemporary Geopolitics: History and Heritage in AntarcticaIn a continent recognized as a global commons, yet where seven states hold frozen claims and others are eager to be seen as stakeholders, history and the cultural heritage remains of earlier expeditions to Antarctica are deeply entangled in the geopolitics of the southern polar region. On this episode, Polar Geopolitics speaks with three polar historians and cultural heritage experts—Dag Avango, Lize-Marie van der Watt and Peder Roberts—who explain these complex interlinkages that strongly influence contemporary activity and the governance of Antarctica. The evolution and importance of the Antarctic humanities is also discussed in the wake of majo...

2019-05-2719 min

Polar Geopolitics - Arctic and Antarctic analysis 2007 and Beyond: The Media and Narratives of Geopolitical Competition in the ArcticA confluence of events in 2007 made the media take major interest in the Arctic, and the geopolitical narrative that emerged that year continues to shape public and political perceptions on the opportunities and risks the region and the world faces in the wake of accelerated climate change. This episode features three experts—Alice Rogoff, founder of Arctic Today; technology historian Nina Wormbs; and media studies professor Miya Christensen—that share their insights on the Arctic media landscape and events like the 2007 Arctic sea ice minimum that drive coverage and underpin narratives of geopolitical conflict and competition over Arctic resources.

2019-04-3016 min

Polar Geopolitics - Arctic and Antarctic analysis Greenpeace, CCAMLR and MPAs: An NGO Perspective on Protecting AntarcticaMany stakeholders, particularly environmental NGOs, involved with last October's meeting of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources were highly critical of the Commission's failure to reach agreement on additional Marine Protected Areas in the Southern Ocean around Antarctica. Frida Bengtsson is global Project Lead for the Greenpeace 'Protect the Antarctic' campaign, and participated in the meeting in Hobart, Australia on behalf of the Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition. On this episode of the podcast, she shares her experiences and insights from an NGO perspective on working with, and sometimes against, state and commercial interests in safeguarding...

2019-03-2022 min

Polar Geopolitics - Arctic and Antarctic analysis Greenland’s Lost Norse: Parables of Adaptation from the North AtlanticWhat lessons for contemporary climate adaptation can we learn from the Viking-era Norse settlement on Greenland, which was founded in the midst of the Mediaeval Warm Period and disappeared during the Little Ice Age? Prof. Thomas McGovern, an environmental archaeologist and world leading authority on Medieval Arctic cultures, shares his insights from decades of fieldwork in the North Atlantic into how historic societies succeeded or failed to adapt to a changing climate and shifting socio-economic circumstances, and how this may inform the present period of environmental change and geopolitical interest in the region.

2019-02-1811 min

Polar Geopolitics - Arctic and Antarctic analysis The Arctic Council: Indispensable international regime?In part two of the interview with Polar Geopolitics, Dr. Annika Nilsson shares her insights into the history and inner-workings of the Arctic Council, including its role in promoting peace, enhancing environmental knowledge, and facilitating science diplomacy among member states and non-Arctic observers to the Council. She also considers contrasting portrayals of the Arctic as a region of peaceful cooperation versus media narratives of looming conflict.

2019-02-0615 min

Polar Geopolitics - Arctic and Antarctic analysis King of the Cryosphere: Antarctica and the Earth system with Will SteffenEarth system science studies the planet as an array of interacting “spheres” that represent components of a single system. Antarctica dominates the cryosphere—the frozen parts of the planet consisting of ice and snow—and thus has a major influence on the overall functioning of the Earth system. Joining the podcast is Prof. Will Steffen, a world leading Earth system scientist and public intellectual who has long operated at the interface of science and policy, including as chairman of the Antarctic Science Advisory Committee in Australia. He is also closely associated with concepts such as the Anthropocene, the Great Accelera...

2019-01-2112 min

Polar Geopolitics - Arctic and Antarctic analysis Climate Adaptation and Food Security in Alaskan indigenous communitiesIndigenous communities are facing multiple challenges from a changing climate across the circumpolar North. In this episode, two experts with extensive experience in the American Arctic —former senior Interior Department official Joel Clement and Nicole Misarti of University of Alaska—discuss with Polar Geopolitics the array of impacts affecting native Alaskan communities, and what measures are being taken to build resilience and adapt to climate change.

2018-12-1221 min

Polar Geopolitics - Arctic and Antarctic analysis Michael Byers: Outer Space and the Arctic—Governance in Cold, Dark and Dangerous PlacesWhat parallels exist in governance regimes for Outer Space and the Arctic? On this episode, Prof. Michael Byers, a leading Arctic and international law expert, shares his insights into why extreme environments often foster international cooperation. He also explains the complexities of Canadian Arctic politics, and the nuances of the concept of sovereignty, in a far-ranging discussion that encompasses outer space, the deep sea, and both polar regions. (Image: Reuben Wu)

2018-11-2123 min

Polar Geopolitics - Arctic and Antarctic analysis John Holdren: Climate change, the Arctic and current U.S policiesProf. John P. Holdren is a leader of the Arctic Initiative at the Belfer Center at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. The former Chief Scientific Advisor to President Barack Obama attended the 2018 Arctic Circle Assembly in Reykjavik, Iceland, where he sat down with the Polar Geopolitics podcast to explain the impacts of climate change on the Arctic and how this in turn affects the global environment. Prof. Holdren also discusses the importance of international scientific cooperation in the Arctic, reflects on scientific advice for political leaders, and critiques current U.S. engagement with climate change and the Arctic, wh...

2018-11-0714 min

Polar Geopolitics - Arctic and Antarctic analysis Arctic Council's ambivalent engagement with climate changeDespite the Arctic Council’s core mission of promoting sustainable development and environmental protection, it has to date done little to actually combat climate change. According to Dr. Annika Nilsson — an expert on Arctic politics at the Stockholm Environment Institute — this ambivalence towards climate mitigation constitutes one dimension of what she calls the “Arctic Paradox”. In the first part of her interview with the Polar Geopolitics podcast, Dr. Nilsson provides historical context and current perspective on the environment and energy-related aspects of the paradox in Arctic politics. (Image: Riccardo Pravettoni)

2018-11-0121 min

Polar Geopolitics - Arctic and Antarctic analysis The Geopolitics of Greenland within the Kingdom of Denmark: Jon Rahbek-Clemmensen pt. 2The economic development and political evolution of Greenland, whether remaining within the Kingdom of Denmark or eventually as an entirely independent country, is an ongoing process and open question of enormous consequence for the geopolitics of the greater Arctic. In the second part of the interview with the Polar Geopolitics podcast, Dr. Jon Rahbek-Clemmensen, an international relations scholar and expert on Danish-Greenlandic politics, shares his insights on the dynamics and future prospects of this critical relationship, as well as the roles played by China and the United States in influencing developments in the resource-rich and strategically-located largest island in...

2018-08-0720 min

Polar Geopolitics - Arctic and Antarctic analysis Jon Rahbek-Clemmensen pt. 1: Arctic governance and the A5 ten years after IlulissatRepresentatives of Arctic governments recently returned to Greenland to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the 2008 meeting in Ilulissat—the somewhat controversial gathering of the so-called “A5” Arctic Ocean littoral states that left other regional actors feeling excluded. In the first of a two-part interview, Associate Prof. Jon Rahbek-Clemmesen of the Royal Danish Defence College, who co-authored a report on the Ilulissat Initiative, shares his insights into contemporary Arctic governance and the inconspicuous yet enduring relevance of the A5, ten years after the Ilulissat Declaration.

2018-06-2122 min

Polar Geopolitics - Arctic and Antarctic analysis Klaus Dodds pt. 2: UK Arctic Policy, Arctic Council and potential British Antarctic strategyIn this second part of his interview with Polar Geopolitics, Prof. Klaus Dodds discusses the recently-updated British Arctic policy Beyond the Ice: UK policy towards the Arctic; elaborates on relations with Russian in the context of Arctic politics; shares his outlook on the Arctic Council’s role in upholding the liberal international order; and considers the possibility of Great Britain eventually publishing a strategy for Antarctica and the Southern Ocean.

2018-06-1335 min

Polar Geopolitics - Arctic and Antarctic analysis Klaus Dodds pt. 1: Geopolitics, Ross Sea MPA, and CAO fisheries moratoriumIn the inaugural episode of the podcast, Klaus Dodds, political geographer and Professor of Geopolitics at Royal Holloway University of London, explains the ways in which the geopolitics of the polar regions are distinct from other parts of the globe. The discussion with Prof. Dodds further includes two recent cases of marine spatial planning—the Ross Sea Marine Protected Area, and the fisheries moratorium in the Central Arctic Ocean—that illustrate some of the major themes of the Polar Geopolitics podcast, i.e. the intersection of environmental protection, economic exploitation, science diplomacy and international relations in the polar regions.

2018-05-2322 min