Geopolitics in the High North conferences

Geopolitics in the High North high level conference in Washington, DC

On 28-29 April 2010, the Geopolitics in the High North research programme conducted its first, annual conference at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, DC. The conference was a timely and relevant contribution to the growing interest in Arctic issues in the US, and gathered a number of representatives from government, think tanks and academia.

High level key note and panels
The conference focused on US strategic interests in the High North. The first day was high level, public event and included keynote introductions by Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), US Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg and Norwegian State Secretary of Defence Espen Barth Eide.

In her address, Senator Murkowski stated that future international relations in the Arctic will require dynamic leadership, and that such leadership needed to be demonstrated in the US by Senate ratification on UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). It would be better for the US to be a party to the treaty, rather than being an outsider hoping its interests will not be damaged, Murkowski argued. The treaty was submitted to the Senate for approval in 1994, but has not been ratified yet, leaving the US as the only Arctic state that is not a party to UNCLOS.

Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg focused on a broader perspective and saw the Arctic as a test case of the international community’s ability to meet transnational challenges in the 21^st century. Using the term “the Arctic opportunity”, Steinberg was impressed by the remarkable goodwill shown by all states with interests in Arctic issues in approaching common challenges. 

Norwegian State Secretary of Defence Espen Barth Eide discussed the interconnectedness of the issues in a broader regional perspective. He also gave an overview of the historic agreement between Norway and Russia on maritime delimitation in the Barents Sea, which was signed in Oslo the previous day.

In the two first panels, a range of experts from the US government and think tanks discussed US ratification of the UNCLOS and US interests in the Arctic in general. The final panel focused on security perspectives from both the US and Canadian, Russian, Danish and Norwegian perspectives. Geopolitics in the High North researchers Heather Conley, director of CSIS' Europe Program, Professor Rolf Tamnes, director of IFS, and IFS Senior Fellow Paal Sigurd Hilde. Pavel Baev, senior fellow at PRIO and Professor Lawson Brigham from the Univeristy of Fairbanks, both associated researchers at the Geopolitics in the High North, were also contributing.

Video and audio recordings of all key note addresses and panels are available at the CSIS website.

Enhanced role for NATO in the Arctic?
Day two of the conference included a closed session workshop focusing on NATO’s role in the Arctic, where researchers and government representatives from the US, Norway, Canada, Denmark and Russia discussed whether NATO should have a role in the Arctic, and what added value NATO could bring. The workshop was moderated by Dr. Stephen Flanagan, Senior Vice President, Henry Kissinger Chair, CSIS. See the workshop agenda here.

Launch of new CSIS publication
At the conference, CSIS launched the new report: U.S. Strategic Interests in the Arctic - An Assessment of Current Challenges and New Opportunities for Cooperation, written by Heather Conley and Jamie Kraut. In the report they point to how the effects of climate change have launched the Arctic Circle to the forefront of geopolitical calculations, potentially transforming the region into a commercial hub fraught both with environmental concerns and complex challenges that have direct implications for U.S. national security. According to the U.S. Department of Defense’s 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review, climate change acts as an “instability accelerant” that will play a significant role in “shaping the future security environment.” The melting of the northern polar ice has dramatically altered this once static geographic and oceanic region and is responsible for the new-found profitability and geostrategic relevance of the region. Access to oil, gas, minerals, fish, and transportation routes, formerly locked in by thick ice, are for the first time becoming accessible and viable sources of profit.

Networking over international issues
Several speakers and participants spoke of the conference as a timely and relevant contribution to the growing interest of Arctic issues in the US. Over 165 people had registered to attend the conference, where German, Russian, Canadian, US and Norwegian programme researchers and associates were given a golden opportunity to learn more about US’ interests in the Arctic region as well as how High North issues are perceived in Washington.

Information

Aiming at establishing an international pool of expertise with value for many years to come, the Geopolitics in the High North Programme will organize several international conferences and workshops. This research programme will give the highest priority to user value. A primary aim of the programme is to create an updated body of knowledge on High North policies, contributing to:

• New knowledge, new approaches and scholarly based policy recommendations
• Development of research competence in Norway and abroad
• Involvement of international academic centres of excellence
• Dialogue with primary users on issues of direct policy relevance

Listed below are major activities for dissemination, networking and consultation:

• International conferences: The programme will organise four international conferences, one in Tromsø, one in Washington, DC, one in Berlin and one in Moscow. The venues will aim to gather experts, decision-makers, business representatives and military leaders.
• Workshops and seminars: A number of smaller workshops and seminars will be organised by the Work Packages in order to discuss themes from the various projects.
• Geopoliticsnorth.org: This internet site will serve to disseminate results from ongoing research, announce venues, and invite external views and opinions. This website will also supply relevant graphic material, statistics and maps.
• A High North research network: There is a lack of an international network for experts working on High North issues in various fields of research and development. The programme will take steps to establish such an interdisciplinary network. In practice
  it will consist of a list of e-mail addresses and a regular e-mail newsletter with links to topical news articles on the High North.
• Annual meetings with partners: Meetings between representatives from the partner institutions in the Geopolitics in the High North Programme will take place annually, normally in connection with the Programme’s international conferences.
• Advisory Board: The Geopolitics in the High North Programme established an Advisory Board drawing its members from government ministries, the petroleum industry, shipping companies and the military. Meetings with the Advisory Board will take place at least once a year.
• Reference Group: The Programme will establish close cooperation with the Norwegian Research Council’s Reference Group and present results of the programme activities twice a year.

Overall, the programme will put energy into establishing a pool of competence on a wide spectrum of High North issues. The international conferences, the workshops and website, the international network, the Advisory Board and the Reference Group will all be part of this effort. The aim is not only to produce new knowledge, but to establish arenas and channels to make this information available to interested groups and the society at large.

The researchers will write articles for the daily press, supply media comments on demand, participate in the general public debate, teach at colleges and universities, and participate in conferences organised by other actors. The pool of expertise and the international network garnered by the programme will be of value for many years to come.

Events