Great Power Competition In The Arctic: Implications For International Trade

Today's Deep Dive is 907 words and a 6-minute read.

Since the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 jolted global politics, the Arctic has emerged as a heated zone of competition. Russian and Chinese joint military drills off the Alaskan coast last week are just the latest development, as Arctic states and a "near Arctic state" project power into the High North, seeking to secure military control over sea passages, building military and economic infrastructure, and staking claims to valuable natural resources beneath the land and seabed. For many years, there has been discussion of a future in which the Arctic becomes navigable year around, opening up vast natural resources for exploitation and new shipping lanes. That future is fast approaching and is being shaped by new policies and alliances set on establishing facts on the ground – or ice, as the case may be.