Transatlantic Cooperation in the Arctic in 2025 and Beyond

December 02, 2024, 16:30 / 18:00

Changing political dynamics between Arctic states and within Arctic states have the potential to accelerate the transformation of the Arctic from an area apart from geopolitical tension to an area of geopolitical competition. All Arctic Council states apart from Russia are now NATO members, and these Arctic 7 must grapple with increasingly challenging ties to Russia and China. Although current points of tension do not stem from the Arctic, this does not preclude heightened tensions from being expressed in the European High North, North Atlantic, or the North American Arctic. Climate change is opening new opportunities for trans-Arctic trade, drawing interests from both Arctic and non-Arctic States. During the summer months, the Northern Sea Route may be more accessible than the Northwest Passage, allowing Russia to be more competitive on the shipping front. Increasingly, Arctic states will have to address geopolitical concerns while also not losing sight or losing ground on priorities that have underpinned earlier eras of Arctic exceptionalism: ongoing work is essential on environmental protection, indigenous population rights and needs, climate change, and sustainable economic development. This panel will be split into two 45-minute panels with three speakers each. The first will focus on Transatlantic Cooperation Priorities : What Will Be New in 2025 and After, and the second will focus on Transatlantic Cooperation on the Ground: How Transatlantic Cooperation Can Deliver.