This article is part of a series on Russian interests in the Arctic. Russia’s Arctic policies and postures are often misunderstood, overblown, or underrated because they take place in a complex regional context and result from complex internal politics. In an interview with Alexander Pelyasov, a professor at Moscow State University and long-time consultant for the Russian government, Morgane Fert-Malka sheds light on this central Arctic player.

This article is part of a series on Russian interests in the Arctic. Russia’s Arctic policies and postures are often misunderstood, overblown, or underrated because they take place in a complex regional context and result from complex internal politics. Morgane Fert-Malka explores the evolution of reindeer herding. Once a nomadic craft alone, some communities are “striving to develop a globalized and sustainable industry” without compromising a time-tested tradition.

This article is part of a series on Russian interests in the Arctic. Russia’s Arctic policies and postures are often misunderstood, overblown, or underrated because they take place in a complex regional context and result from complex internal politics. Morgane Fert-Malka contributes with an analysis, interview, or book review shedding light on this central Arctic player.

Looking out from the crest of one of the thousands of craggy mountains that make up the Lofoten Archipelago, an impossibly blue sea bathes white beaches that seem out of place this far north.

On Nov. 28, 2004, the Malaysian flagged cargo vessel Selendang Ayu departed the Port of Seattle on a voyage to Xiamen, China, carrying a cargo of soybeans. Following the North Pacific Great Circle Route, the vessel transited north through Unamak Pass in the Aleutian Islands of Alaska a week later, but shortly after the ship’s engine malfunctioned and had to be shut down 100 miles from Dutch Harbor, the nearest port and one of the busiest fishing communities in the United States.

By Hannes Hansen-Magnusson  The changing seascape in the Arctic has considerable implications for human activity in the region. While efforts are underway to develop new frameworks, particularly in terms of shipping and transit, some of these policies might also create challenges and sources of discord. In the first week of September news broke of an ice-free

By Morgane Fert-Malka Territorial disputes in the Arctic usually feature in popular media within a narrative of a “race for resources” or militarization on the world’s “last frontier.” This article, not for thrill-seekers, is about a dispute of the tedious kind: the delimitation of the continental shelf in the five Arctic coastal states—Canada, Denmark, Norway,

By Ritikaa Iyer Modernization has often come slower to the Arctic than to the rest of the world. The region’s geography, harsh climate, and higher energy and transportation costs have made the development of infrastructure, health care, and education challenges. For example, the 2017 Arctic Economic Council report on an “Interconnected Arctic” stated that while

This article is part of an Arctic in Context series featuring Winter 2017 Arctic Research Fellows from the International Policy Institute, in the Henry M. Jackson School at the University of Washington. This Arctic research program is dedicated to improving the transfer of research and expertise between higher education and the policy world in the

This article is part of a series on Russian interests in the Arctic. Russia’s Arctic policies and postures are often misunderstood, overblown, or underrated because they take place in a complex regional context and result from complex internal politics. Every second month, Morgane Fert-Malka contributes with an analysis, interview, or book review shedding light on