Polar Geopolitics - Arctic and Antarctic analysis

Greenland’s Future in the Face of Trump’s Advances: Crisis in the Kingdom of Denmark

Independence 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 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/polargeopolitics

Polar Geopolitics on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/polargeopolitics/

Polar Geopolitics website: http://www.polargeopolitics.com

Polar Geopolitics on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/polargeopolitics

Polar Geopolitics on PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=KXUVZKGALMFXU

 

Greenland gambit 2.0: Arctic Geopolitics and Donald Trump’s Geographical Imagination, with Prof. Klaus Dodds

An 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

Polar Geopolitics on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/polargeopolitics

Polar Geopolitics on PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=KXUVZKGALMFXU

Arctic security, seabed warfare, Russia-China relations and U.S. engagement under Trump: Mathieu Boulègue on the events, issues and upheavals shaping geopolitics for 2025

Arctic 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 comprehensive Arctic engagement.

Mathieu Boulègue report for Wilson Center "Arctic Seabed Warfare against Data Cables":  https://www.wilsoncenter.org/publication/arctic-seabed-warfare-against-data-cables-risks-and-impact-us-critical-undersea 

 

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

Polar Geopolitics on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/polargeopolitics

Polar Geopolitics on PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=KXUVZKGALMFXU

Cracks in Consensus: Krill, marine conservation and the consequences of CCMALR 43 failures for Antarctic governance and geopolitics

Many observers considered the 43^rd 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 Antarctic Studies at the University of Tasmania joins the podcast, sharing insights from decades of direct involvement with the science and geopolitics of Antarctica as Australia’s former CCAMLR commissioner and chairman (2002-2006) of the Antarctic Treaty’s Committee for Environmental Protection.

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

Polar Geopolitics on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/polargeopolitics

Polar Geopolitics on PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=KXUVZKGALMFXU

 

Carrots, sticks and the near-Arctic state narrative: China’s influence strategies in the Arctic

How 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 also discusses the China-Russia relationship, China’s wolf warrior diplomacy, and how China has in recent years attempted to recalibrate its messaging and activities in the Arctic.  

Selling the “Near Arctic State”: China’s Information and Influence Operations in the Arctic (Wilson Center 2024) by Adam Lajeunesse and P. Whitney Lackenbauer: https://www.wilsoncenter.org/publication/selling-near-arctic-state

 

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

Polar Geopolitics on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/polargeopolitics

Polar Geopolitics on PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=KXUVZKGALMFXU

 

Analyzing ATCM 46: Current issues and dynamics in the governance and geopolitics of Antarctica

From 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 46^thAntarctic 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 geopolitical implications of the latest annual meeting of the consultative parties to the Antarctic Treaty. An historian by training, Dr. Lindström also explains the geopolitical significance of cultural heritage remains in Antarctica for certain states, particularly those with historical claims in the continent.

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

Polar Geopolitics on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/polargeopolitics

 

Polar Geopolitics on PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=KXUVZKGALMFXU

 

    

Arctic nation, or not? The Geopolitics of Arctic state identity

The 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 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

Polar Geopolitics on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/polargeopolitics

Polar Geopolitics on PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=KXUVZKGALMFXU

Spotlight on Svalbard: Realities and myths in a microcosm of Arctic geopolitics

Although 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 new Norwegian white paper on Svalbard, the interest of China and India and other countries present there, the relevant international legal regimes and Russian hybrid activities in and around the archipelago. For those wanting to learn more about Svalbard, this 90-minute episode, centered on Østhagen’s extensive research and expertise, serves as a crash course on one of the most complex and fascinating areas of Arctic geopolitics.