The Arctic's warming waters are full of ships, but few of them are flying a US flag. Forty-one Russian icebreakers patrol busy shipping channels, and that nation's laid claim to more than half a million square miles of the region's rich seabed. China, South Korea and Singapore are also vying to be polar expedition superpowers. So far on his Alaska trip the President has hiked a glacier, taken a boat ride and talked a lot about rising seas and the urgent need to cut back on greenhouse gas emissions. He's also called for more Coast Guard icebreakers and an expanded US presence in the region. Can America catch up with its rivals and protect its interests and national security in the Arctic?
Climate Change Creates a New Cold War in the Arctic
More
- National Arctic Strategy for the Arctic Region
- Arctic Steering Committee
- UN Convention on the Law of the Sea
- Alaska Dispatch News photos of Kotzebue's preparations for Obama’s visit
- CSIS paper on Russia's strategic reach into the Arctic
- Penn State Center for Solutions to Weather & Climate Risk on a strategy for US leadership in the high north
Credits
Guests:
- Alex DeMarban - Alaska Dispatch News - @adndotcom
- Fran Ulmer - US Arctic Research Commission - @US_ARC
- David Titley - Pennsylvania State University - @dwtitley
- Heather Conley - Center for Strategic and International Studies - @CSISEurope