(CCGS Amundsen, Baffin Bay, October 2016)

POLI 369B(3): International Politics of the Arctic (Fall 2016)

For decades, the Arctic was on the front-lines of the Cold War. Today, the region is changing at an unprecedented rate due to climate change, shipping, the extraction of natural resources, and the efforts of coastal states to secure offshore jurisdictional claims. This upper-year undergraduate course canvasses a range of political and legal issues, from the disputes over Hans Island and the boundary in the Beaufort Sea, to shipping in the Northwest Passage and the Northern Sea Route, to the assertion of sovereign rights over areas of seabed more than 200 nautical miles from shore, to the protection of high seas fisheries in the Central Arctic Ocean. The environmental, security and geopolitical dimensions of a rapidly opening Arctic will also be considered, along with the role of indigenous peoples and the Arctic Council.

For the rest of the syllabus, see below:

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11/18/2016

Arctic Oil: Canada’s Chance to Get it Right

In May 2016, I wrote the following SSHRC Knowledge Synthesis Report on: Arctic Oil: Canada's Change to Get it Right

Thanks are due to research assistants Gregory Sharp and Emma Lodge. All mistakes are mine.

Posted at 07:06 PM in Beaufort Sea, Canada, Environmental Protection, Law of the Sea, Lincoln Sea, Northwest Passage, Oil and gas, Shipping | Permalink | Comments (0)

11/15/2016

China’s plan for the Arctic – and a shipping centre to rival Singapore

Beijing may be playing it cool, but it sees its current role in the contested High North as just the tip of the iceberg

Ryan Kilpatrick, South China Morning Post, 15 November 2016

Continue reading "China’s plan for the Arctic – and a shipping centre to rival Singapore" »

Posted at 08:47 PM in China, Greenland, Law of the Sea, Mining, Northern Sea Route, Northwest Passage | Permalink | Comments (0)

10/30/2016

Arctic’s most dangerous Cold War legacy soon to be removed

Workers are about to complete the handling infrastructure for partly damaged spent nuclear fuel at Russia’s Andreeva Bay.

Some 22,000 spent nuclear fuel elements are stored in three old, run-down concrete tanks close to the shore of fjord Litsa fjord. Photo: Aleksandr Emelianenko

Thomas Nilsen, Independent Barent's Observer, 26 October 2016

About 22,000 spent nuclear fuel elements from operation of Soviet’s fleet of submarines are stored in three dilapidated concrete tanks a few hundred metres from shore on Russia’s Barents Sea coast. That is equal to around 100 reactor cores.

No other places in the world are so huge amount of highly radioactive uranium fuel stored under such bad conditions.

Removing the waste-elements is considered to be the most risky nuclear-safety operation ever to happen in the Russian north.

That work starts now.

For the rest of this story, see: Arctic's most dangerous Cold War legacy

Posted at 04:49 PM in Cold War, Environmental Protection, Military, Russia, Submarines | Permalink | Comments (0)

10/22/2016

Russia's Arctic Obsession

Kathrin Hille, Financial Times, 21 October 2016

As global warming melts Arctic ice, Moscow hopes to resurrect the historic Northern Sea Route between Europe and Asia. But the challenges — and the costs — are immense.

For an excellent "Special FT feature and film", see: Russia's Arctic Obsession

Posted at 10:13 AM in Northern Sea Route, Russia, Shipping | Permalink | Comments (0)

10/19/2016

Why it’s worth it for Canada to talk to the Russian bear

Michael Byers, Globe and Mail, 19 October 2016

I once met a bear while hiking in the Rocky Mountains. A big bear, who squinted at me and sniffed the air. When I backed away, he followed me, muscles rippling beneath a grizzled hump.

With no trees to climb, I began to talk. “Good morning, Mr. Bear,” I said, and asked about his health. I commented on the weather, told him of my plans and, after a minute of idle chatter, he shrugged and wandered off the path.

I was reminded of this encounter when, last month, Foreign Minister Stéphane Dion announced a shift in foreign policy. From now on, Canada will seek to actively co-operate with Russia in the Arctic.

Continue reading "Why it’s worth it for Canada to talk to the Russian bear " »

Posted at 01:20 PM in Canada, Diplomacy, Military, Russia, Security, United States | Permalink | Comments (0)

10/08/2016

Scientific treaty emerges from Arctic Council

After a week of meetings in Portland, Arctic officials have put the final touches on an agreement to collaborate on research.

Penelope Overton, Portland Press Herald, 8 October 2016

The Arctic Council is preparing a treaty to be signed in the spring to promote scientific cooperation among the eight Arctic nations, a move that would benefit Maine scientists who need access to Russian territory and research for their work on topics ranging from climate change to how oil changes when it’s exposed to severe cold.

David Balton, the United States’ ambassador to the council and the chairman of the council’s senior Arctic officials, hailed it as a groundbreaking agreement. The officials have been meeting all week in Portland to discuss policy issues that affect Arctic nations.

Continue reading "Scientific treaty emerges from Arctic Council" »

Posted at 08:40 AM in Arctic Council, Arctic Ocean, Climate Change, Diplomacy, Fisheries, Science, United States | Permalink | Comments (0)

10/03/2016

The Arctic Council at 20 years: More necessary than ever

Speech written by Canadian Foreign Minister Stéphane Dion, marking the 20th anniversary of the Arctic Council

September 29, 2016 - Ottawa, Ontario

As we gather today at Carleton University to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Arctic Council, let us take stock of what the North means to Canadians.

The North, covering 40 percent of our territory and home to more than 100,000 inhabitants, of whom more than half are Indigenous, is at the heart of our identity.

Yes, we have a northern soul: “The true north strong and free.” Few places on earth evoke more glorious images than the North. It is the land of the aurora, where the northern lights dance across the darkened sky at nightfall, and the land of the midnight sun and of polar days that go on forever under light that never fades.

Continue reading "The Arctic Council at 20 years: More necessary than ever" »

Posted at 09:21 PM in Canada, Diplomacy, Russia | Permalink | Comments (0)

09/30/2016

North of 60: Toward a Renewed Canadian Arctic Agenda

Special Report edited by John Higginbotham & Jennifer Spence and published on September 29, 2016

This report stems from a CIGI round table, Revitalizing Canada’s Arctic Policy, held on November 27, 2015, at Carleton University — shortly after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s new Liberal Government took power and not long after Canada completed its term as chair of the Arctic Council. The round table, which was supported by Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada and Global Affairs Canada, brought together a dozen of Canada’s leading Arctic experts.

For the free PDF, go to: North of 60 report

Posted at 10:22 AM in Canada, Northwest Passage | Permalink | Comments (0)

09/17/2016

Less ice, more ship traffic prompts Arctic marine safety review

Cruise ship guidelines, new regulations for smaller vessels among possible outcomes

This map from the Marine Security Operations Centre shows what kind of marine traffic you could find Sept. 13 in the Arctic. (IMAGE FROM THE MSOC)

Jane George, Nunatsiaq News, 13 September 2016

CAMBRIDGE BAY—Canada wants to improve marine security and safety in the Arctic, as the region’s sea ice cover drops to one of the lowest in 35 years, and a recent study forecasts a big opening of the Northwest Passage for shipping.

The measures to improve security and safety include a best-practice guide for cruise ships travelling in Canada’s Arctic waters as well a probable tightening of regulations for smaller vessels travelling in the Northwest Passage.

Continue reading "Less ice, more ship traffic prompts Arctic marine safety review" »

Posted at 08:22 AM in Canada, Coast Guard, Northwest Passage, Search and Rescue, Shipping, Tourism | Permalink | Comments (0)

09/07/2016

Coast guard fleet deteriorated under Tories and Liberals, report says

The Canadian Coast guard's medium icebreaker Henry Larsen is seen in Allen Bay during Operation Nanook, in Nunavut on Aug. 25, 2010.

Canadians don't grasp the dire straits the coast guard is in, expert says

Murray Brewster, CBC News, 7 September 2016

The majority of the Canadian Coast Guard fleet is so old that its book value is almost worthless, says an independent report presented to the Liberal government.

A third-party analysis was commissioned by the agency, which has for the last 20 years fallen under the responsibility of the Fisheries Department.

A heavily censored copy of the report, which was included in a briefing package for former fisheries minister Hunter Tootoo, was obtained by CBC News under the Access to Information Act.

It pulls no punches when it comes to the state of the fleet that performs vital ice-breaking and life-saving search and rescue functions on all three coasts.

"A significant amount of the fleet is fully depreciated," says the undated report written by analysts Bill Austin and Carl Hegge.

Continue reading "Coast guard fleet deteriorated under Tories and Liberals, report says" »

Posted at 09:34 AM in Canada, Coast Guard, Northwest Passage, Search and Rescue | Permalink | Comments (0)

Arctic Sovereignty and International Relations

Arctic on Video

Books on the Arctic

11/18/2016

11/15/2016

10/30/2016

10/22/2016

Kathrin Hille, Financial Times, 21 October 2016

As global warming melts Arctic ice, Moscow hopes to resurrect the historic Northern Sea Route between Europe and Asia. But the challenges — and the costs — are immense.

For an excellent "Special FT feature and film", see: Russia's Arctic Obsession

10/19/2016

10/08/2016

10/03/2016

Speech written by Canadian Foreign Minister Stéphane Dion, marking the 20th anniversary of the Arctic Council

09/30/2016

09/17/2016

Cruise ship guidelines, new regulations for smaller vessels among possible outcomes

09/07/2016

Canadians don't grasp the dire straits the coast guard is in, expert says

Arctic News Websites

Maps and satellite images

Treaties, Legislation and Declarations

Reports and Policy Papers

Academic Articles (accessible through UBC library)

Additional Readings

Government and NGO Websites

Arctic Research Institutions

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