Ian Lesser
Distinguished Fellow and Adviser to the President, Head of Brussels Office, German Marshall Fund of the United States
Ian Lesser participates to the following sessions :
Transatlantic Cooperation in the Arctic in 2025 and Beyond
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 was split into two 45-minute panels with three speakers each. The first focused on Transatlantic Cooperation Priorities : What Will Be New in 2025 and After, and the second focused on Transatlantic Cooperation on the Ground: How Transatlantic Cooperation Can Deliver.
Moderators
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Ian Lesser
Distinguished Fellow and Adviser to the President, Head of Brussels Office, German Marshall Fund of the United States
Speakers
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Claude Véron-Réville
Head of Division for Western Europe and Special Envoy for Arctic Matters, EEAS
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Kristine Berzina
Managing Director, Geostrategy North, German Marshall Fund of the United States
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Johanna Ikävalko
Director, Arctic Centre, University of Lapland
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Bergdís Ellertsdóttir
Senior Arctic Official; Ambassador, Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Iceland
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Willfred Nordlund
Member of Parliament for Nordland and Chair of the Standing Committee on Business and Industry, Norwegian Parliament
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Ulla-Kirsikka Vainio
Mayor of Rovaniemi, Finland