Foreign Policy Blogs

Arctic

Canadian dollar now “not on the table” for Iceland

Canadian dollar now “not on the table” for Iceland

In early March, a few outspoken voices in Iceland, a country not known for its stable economy in recent years, floated the idea of switching from the krona to the Canadian dollar. The leader of the opposition Progressive Party, Sigmundur Gunnlaugsson, said, “If we are going to adopt another currency, then the Canadian dollar looks […]

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Plans for Canada’s Nanisivik Naval Facility Downsized

Plans for Canada’s Nanisivik Naval Facility Downsized

In August 2007, Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced plans to build a deep water port at Nanisivik, where remnants of an old port and airfield from the area’s nickel mining days would serve as the foundations for further construction. New docking and refueling facilities were to be built, thus turning Nanisivik into an important site […]

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Flying over the Arctic in a 777

Flying over the Arctic in a 777

I’ve never been north of the Arctic Circle – until now, in a commercial airplane. From my window seat on a 14-hour flight from Newark to Tokyo, I caught several glimpses of the Arctic’s west and far east. In between stretching my legs in place, flipping through the on-demand movie offerings, and poking at the […]

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DARPA to Invest in New Technologies Through Assured Arctic Awareness Program

DARPA to Invest in New Technologies Through Assured Arctic Awareness Program

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), a research agency housed within of the U.S. Department of Defense, is looking to develop new remote sensing technologies in order to monitor the Arctic both above and below the ice and enhance regional maritime security. DARPA tends to support high-risk, high-reward projects with a futuristic bent. It […]

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Two Week Vacation

Two Week Vacation

I will be on vacation until March 19. In the meantime, check out Eye on the Arctic and the Barents Observer to stay up to date on northern happenings. See you in two weeks!

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Putin Seeks Joint Council with Canada to Discuss Boundary Issues

Putin Seeks Joint Council with Canada to Discuss Boundary Issues

It is widely known that Russia and Canada are not the best of friends in the Arctic. They are the first and second largest countries in the region, and both base their Arctic policies heavily on the concept of sovereignty and the sanctity of territory. In part due to the lukewarm relations between the two […]

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Russia Issues Tenders to Design New Ships and Equipment for the Arctic

Russia Issues Tenders to Design New Ships and Equipment for the Arctic

Russia’s Ministry of Industry and Trade has issued tenders to construct new types of vessels and infrastructure for the Arctic. The tenders call for the following [1]: Light and heavy Arctic surface-effect ships: 458 million rubles/$15.7 million Ground effect vehicles for the Far North: 70 million rubles $2.4 million High-speed sea and river catamarans (“Alligators”): […]

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“Greenland Week” at Scandinavia House in NYC Next Week

“Greenland Week” at Scandinavia House in NYC Next Week

Next week, Scandinavia House, a Nordic cultural center located in New York City, will host “Greenland Week,” with three artistic and cultural programs dedicated to shedding light on the remote island. On Wednesday, February 29 and Friday, March 2, a coming-of-age movie called Inuk about a troublesome boy sent from the capital, Nuuk, to live […]

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House Approves Drilling in ANWR’s Coastal Plain

House Approves Drilling in ANWR’s Coastal Plain

On Thursday, the House passed the Protecting Investment in Oil Shale, the Next Generation of Environmental, Energy and Resource Security (PIONEERS) Act, H.R. 3408, with a vote of 237-187. Though oil shale drilling is ostensibly the main topic of the bill, with its passage, the House has also approved drilling in the Alaska National Wildlife […]

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Russian Politician and American Ambassador Emphasize Arctic Cooperation

Russian Politician and American Ambassador Emphasize Arctic Cooperation

Boris Nemtsov, co-president of the opposition People’s Freedom Party in Russia, has spoken out against Putin’s stance in the Arctic – in Canada. He is currently crossing the True North Strong and Free on a speaking tour organized by the Central and Eastern European Council. Nemtsov has been an outspoken critic of Prime Minister Vladimir […]

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Facing Cold Shoulder from Oslo, China Turns to Ottawa for Support in Arctic

Facing Cold Shoulder from Oslo, China Turns to Ottawa for Support in Arctic

The Chinese Ambassador to Canada, H.E. Zhang Junsai, spoke at a luncheon at the Montreal Council on Foreign Relations today. The Montreal Gazette has an article on his talk, emphasizing the fact that he twice affirmed that China is committed to peace in the Arctic. A member of the audience that the newspaper reported to […]

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Denmark Creates New Arctic Ambassadorship

Denmark Creates New Arctic Ambassadorship

Earlier this month, Denmark appointed Klavs A. Holm as the new Arctic Ambassador, an office which will become permanent. At the same time, Danish Foreign Minister Villy Søvndal announced the closure of the embassies in Iraq, Benin, and Zambia. This move gives a strong signal that Denmark is putting forth a more visible diplomatic presence […]

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With New Fiber Optics Cables, Competition Moves to Seafloor

With New Fiber Optics Cables, Competition Moves to Seafloor

First it was server cooling rooms. Now, new, trans-Arctic telecommunications cables might be the next big thing up north. At this year’s Pacific Telecommunications Council conference in Honolulu, Hawaii, there was much talk about a potential subsea optical transmission cable that could be laid under the Arctic Ocean thanks to the melting ice cap. Network […]

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Canadian Intelligence Officer with Possible Ties to Russia Arrested

Canadian Intelligence Officer with Possible Ties to Russia Arrested

Royal Canadian Navy Intelligence Officer Jeffrey Delisle was arrested in Halifax last week for espionage. He is being charged under the Security of Information Act with “breach of trust and communicating safeguarded information to a foreign entity” between July 6, 2007 and January 13, 2012, the date on which he was arrested. This is the […]

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The Icebreaker That Could: USCGC Healy Leads Way for Russian Tanker

The Icebreaker That Could: USCGC Healy Leads Way for Russian Tanker

  Updated Below The isolation of Nome, Alaska has garnered the small city a certain degree of infamy. No roads lead to the city of 3,500 from the rest of the state. The only way in is by plane, ship, or dogsled, as was done in 1925 to bring emergency medical supplies to residents. Now, […]

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