The Arctic ― A New Paradigm or the Next Cold War?

Global climate change is impacting the global security environment, most notably in the Arctic region. While many nations have been planning, preparing, and programming to exploit the opportunities presented in a receding-ice Arctic, the United States has lagged far behind in all of the substantive actions necessary to preserve its vital national interests in the region. Analysis of the actions of the five Arctic coastal nations, sans the United States, reveal significant advances in military presence, infrastructure expenditures, territorial claims, and political maneuvering as these nations jockey to consolidate and preserve their perceived sovereign rights and national interests in the region. Further analysis shows partnership is key to advancing United States’ interests as budgetary and political pressures preclude unilateral action. As a result, recommendations center around building U.S. international legitimacy and credibility, exploiting a critical capability gap as a uniting issue, and capitalizing on a dearth of unifying military cooperative constructs to lead a new partnership paradigm. The United States stands at a strategic crossroads; failure to act erodes the Nation’s ability to shape the Arctic policy environment.