Cooperation an d Competition in the Arctic - Dr. Karin L. Johnston

This paper looks at the conflicting issues affecting the Arctic, the many ripple effects of climate change, and the consequences for cooperation and the geopolitics of competition for the United States and its allies, and for Russia and China. [...] COOPERATION AND COMPETITION IN THE ARCTIC 3 Arctic Regional Governance The Arctic was a region of strategic and military contestation during the Cold War and critical to both the U. [...] With greater competition and confrontation come calls for the Arctic Council to be replaced or to be substantially restructured and for the establishment of a separate body to manage the growing security concerns in the Arctic.12 COOPERATION AND COMPETITION IN THE ARCTIC 5 Major Actors Russia Russia is the largest Arctic actor, possessing over 50% of the landmass in the Arctic. [...] And in the Arctic, none of the three major powers wishes to increase the chance of confrontation in the region. [...] Norway has been the target of several such incidents—drones flying over sensitive infrastructure, damage to seabed fiber-optic cables and gas pipelines—and has arrested Russian citizens for spying.19 The United States The United States has been an Arctic power since the purchase of the Alaska territory in 1867, but the strategic importance of the Arctic began with the Cold War and the military con.