There is no doubt that, due to heightening tensions with Russia because of its invasion of Ukraine, potential Arctic Sino-Russian cooperation in the region, climate change, and its strategic value, the Arctic is one of the most geopolitically important regions in the world. Increased attention from global superpowers, changes in militarization, new routes opening up & increasing nuclear threats mean that events in the Arctic have the potential to majorly impact the inhabitants of any country in the world.
In this panel, Dr Tim B.T. Reilly ( Scott Polar Research Institute at the University of Cambridge), Pavel K. Baev (Research Professor at the Peace Research Institute Oslo) and Dr Balkan Devlen (Senior Fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute) discuss:
-The strategic, climate & security importance of the Arctic
-Emerging threats in the region
-Reevaluating the threat of Russian militarization of the Arctic -Arctic infrastructure
-Sino-Russian cooperation in the Arctic
-The Arctic-Baltic connection
-Sino-Russian vs. Western institutional knowledge on Arctic integration
-Critical infrastructure threats in the Arctic & Baltic
-Changing Russian, Chinese & Western strategy in the region
-The Arctic Council & its future
Moderator: James Sherr, Senior Fellow of the Estonian Foreign Policy Institute at the International Centre for Defence & Security
00:00 Introducing the topic & panelists
2:38 Opening statement of Dr Tim B.T. Reilly
11:45 Opening statement of Pavel K. Baev
17:40 Opening statement of Dr Balkan Devlen
24:10 Western vs. Russian institutional knowledge of the Arctic
29:50 Should the attacks on critical infrastructure in the Baltic & Arctic continue, how will it affect the strategy of key players?
35:00 Who needs to be convinced of the significance of the Arctic?
35:45 If not The Arctic Council – then what?
36:30 What is the price for the West of letting China & Russia control the Arctic?
42:02 Could the Arctic instead become a source of contention between Russia & China?
45:20 Have there been informal Russian signals at discontent about the current state of affairs?
52:20 The connection between the Arctic & The Baltic
53:20 How much does the EU share American worries regarding Greenland?
54:40 What should the 7 Western Arctic Council members do to maximize their interests regarding the Northern Sea Route?