The New Ice Curtain: Russia's Strategic Reach to the Arctic

In this new video from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a panel of experts discuss the results of a new CSIS report The New Ice Curtain: Russia’s Strategic Reach to the Arctic to both assess Russia’s strategic ambitions for the Arctic and to offer policy recommendations for the future of US-Russian Arctic relations. The report’s author Heather A. Conley introduced and moderated the panel, which included project consultant Dr. Marlène Laruelle, a research professor of International Affairs at George Washington University, and Steven Lee Myers, a New York Times correspondent who regularly travels to and writes about the Russia Arctic.

The panelists offered their insight on the economic and geo-strategic factors guiding Russian Arctic policy and discussed the “duality” of the nation’s interests and intent with the region, specifically noting that while “Russia seeks international cooperation to develop its economic potential, at the same time, it seeks to project power to preserve a heightened role for security in the Arctic.” The panelists also previewed President Obama's visit to Alaska (he arrived just days after this conference was recorded), the impact of climate change on the Arctic and what China's increased investment and engagement in the Arctic means for Sino-Russian relations.