Arctic fever: political, economic & environmental aspects

Abstract

This book explores the Arctic as a rapidly evolving phenomenon in international affairs of a rising number of stakeholders. For decades, Arctic studies used to be an affair of a relatively narrow group of experts from northern countries. This time is over due to a new Chinese Arctic policy, as well as growing regional interests from South Korea, Singapore, India and Japan. Contributors reflect on new roles for the Arctic region: both as a playground for the old school nation state competition and even confrontation, and a new source for international cooperation in energy, logistics and natural sciences. Climate change, political tensions and economic competition make Arctic a hotter venue of international relations. This new Arctic fever, studied through a comparative analysis of different regional agendas, especially with a focus on the USChinaRussia triangle, represents the main subject of our book, which will be of interest to scholars of geopolitics, of climate change, and of 21st century energy economics. Anastasia Likhacheva works as a Dean at the Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs at the Higher School of Economics (HSE) in Moscow, Russia. Her key area of expertise includes geo-economics with a particular focus on sanctions, Eurasian integration and Russian foreign policy in Greater Eurasia. She regularly prepares policy briefs for senior Russian public authorities and has been a member of expert working groups of the Ministry of Economic Development and the Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East since 2014. She also co-leads the ThinkArctic Project within the Program of Russian Chairmanship in the Arctic Councli 2021-2023.