The Polar Connection | Home of Polar Research and Policy Initiative

One Arctic or Two? Polar Geopolitics in the Wake of the Ukraine Conflict

Antony Blinken, US Secretary of State, and Sergei Lavrov, Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs, speak at the 12th Arctic Council Ministerial Meeting in Reykjavik, Iceland, in May 2021. © Icelandic Ministry for Foreign Affairs/Gunnar Vigfússon Prof Timo Koivurova Research Professor Arctic Centre, University

The Estonian Polar Club: Interview with Katrin Savomägi

Alisa Musanovic Today I'm with Katrin Savomägi, who is the Managing Director of the Estonian Polar Club. Could you start off by telling us a bit about yourself and your career, particularly anything that sparked an interest in polar affairs? Thank you

Czech-in the Arctic: Interview with Jan Dusik

Alisa Musanovic I'm with Jan Dusík, who is currently the Interim Director of the Arctic Programme at the Worldwide Fund for Nature. He has worked in the UN Environment Programme and is also a former Czech politician in the Ministry of

Latvia in the Arctic: Interview with State Secretary Andris Pelšs

Alisa Musanovic Today’s interview is with Andris Pelšs, who is the Secretary of State of the Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Could you tell us a bit about yourself and your career in government so far? I have been the Secretary of

Estonia in the Arctic: Interview with Ambassador Märt Volmer

Alisa Musanovic Today, I'm with Märt Volmer, who is the Undersecretary for European Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Estonia. He is in charge of the interinstitutional working group working on the Arctic Council Observer application for Estonia. Welcome,

Latvia's Arctic Connections: Interview with Mārtiņš Vargulis

Alisa Musanovic Today’s interview is with Mārtiņš Vargulis, a researcher at the Latvian Institute of International Affairs and lecturer at Riga Stradiņš University, who has also served as the Head of the Defence Policy and Strategy Section, as well as diplomat, at the Permanent

Cold Climate Research in Poland: Interview with Dr Mateusz Strzelecki, University of Wrocław

University of Wroclaw Collection Alisa Musanovic Today I'm with Dr Mateusz C. Strzelecki, a researcher at the University of Wrocław, who recently helped establish the new Alfred Jahn Cold Region Research Centre in Wrocław, Poland. Could you tell us more about yourself

Estonia and the Arctic: Interview with Prof Rein Vaikmäe

Alisa Musanovic Today I’d like to welcome Prof Rein Vaikmäe, Professor Emeritus at Tallinn University of Technology, Chairman of the Estonian Polar Research Committee and Counsellor to the President at the Estonian Academy of Sciences, and Estonia's representative on the European

Poland's Polar Policy: Interview with Dr Michał Łuszczuk

Alisa Musanovic Today I'm with Michał Łuszczuk, who is a Member of the National Committee on Polar Research at the Polish Academy of Sciences. Until recently, he was a Polish delegate at the International Arctic Science Committee. Could you tell us

Finno-Ugric Connections: Interview with Sven-Erik Soosaar

Alisa Musanovic Today’s interview is with Sven-Erik Soosaar, a member of the Board of the Estonian NGO, Fenno-Ugria. He is also a member of the UN Permanent Forum of Indigenous Issues. Tell us about yourself and your career so far, particularly

Czech-Arctic Connections: Interview with Amb. Zdeněk Lyčka

Photo by Hasse Ferrold. Alisa Musanovic I'm with Zdeněk Lyčka, who is the co-ordinator of the annual Czech Arctic Festival. He's a former Czech Ambassador to Denmark, the recent co-author of a book on Czech-Alaskan relations and also a polar explorer. Could

The World Needs the Arctic Council Now More Than Ever

Arctic Council Ministerial Meeting in Rovaniemi, Finland, on May 7, 2019. [State Department Photo by Ron Przysucha/ Public Domain] Barry Scott Zellen, PhD Six weeks ago, on 3 March 2022, seven of the eight Arctic Council (AC) member states – called herein

Third Pole’s View on the North Pole - India’s Arctic Policy

Kanagavalli Suryanarayanan The Arctic Policy of India, titled ‘India’s Arctic Policy: Building a Partnership for Sustainable Development’, has been published recently by the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), Government of India, and has drawn considerable global attention. India’s draft policy was

Ukraine Stands Alone Calling for Sanctioning of Russia During IMO Extraordinary Council Meeting

Image: The headquarters of the International Maritime Organization, Albert Embankment, London © Lord Harris Igor Putinovich Following two days of positioning and posturing by the world's maritime community during an Extraordinary Council meeting, Ukraine was left isolated in its calls for the

Prof Akiho Shibata: How can the Antarctic Treaty System respond to the Russian invasion of Ukraine?

Prof Akiho Shibata Professor of International Law and Director, Polar Cooperation Research Centre (PCRC) Kobe University (Japan) Prof Akiho Shibata responds to an article by Dr Alan Hemmings published on The Polar Connection on 18 March 2022: Does the Antarctic Treaty System have

Does the Antarctic Treaty System have a moral duty to respond to Russia's invasion of Ukraine

Dr Alan Hemmings Adjunct Professor, Gateway Antarctica Centre for Antarctic Studies and Research University of Canterbury (New Zealand) Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, facilitated in part by Belarus, presents an offence against many norms of international relations. Most obviously, it is a breach of

Canada, the Arctic and the Russian Invasion of Ukraine

Image: Canada supports Ukraine (Yonge Street at Marlborough Avenue). © Can Pac Swire/Flickr Dr Rob Huebert Associate Professor, Department of Political Science University of Calgary (Canada) The Russian decision to resume its 2014 invasion of Ukraine is having major international ramification. One of the regions

Statement of the International Committee of Indigenous Peoples of Russia

International Committee of Indigenous Peoples of Russia WE – the undersigned representatives of the Indigenous peoples of the North, Siberia and the Far East living outside of Russia against our will—are outraged by the war President Putin has unleashed against Ukraine.

Royal Navy shows solidarity with Ukraine at Antarctic research base

The crew of the HMS Protector and the Ukrainian scientists at the Vernadsky polar research station in Antarctica show their joint solidarity. © Royal Navy Royal Navy sailors showed their support for and solidarity with the people of Ukraine when they

Ukraine: Why this war is different

Prof Rachael Lorna Johnstone Professor of Law University of Akureyri (Iceland) and Ilisimatusarfik (University of Greenland) For the dead, the bereaved, the injured, the homeless, the refugees, and others horribly affected by war, the technicalities of who against whom and why may not

Putin is after more than land — he wants the religious soul of Ukraine

Knox Thames Former Special Envoy for Religious Minorities, U.S. Department of State Make no mistake, Putin is seeking full capitulation from Ukraine — both physical and spiritual. The physical landscape of Ukraine isn’t the only battle space Russian invaders hope to dominate. For the

Catholic Bishops in England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland call for end to violence in Ukraine

Meeting in London on 4th March 2022, the Presidents and Vice-Presidents of the Catholic Bishops’ Conferences of England and Wales, Ireland, and Scotland said: In the face of the shocking loss of life, bloodshed, displacement of people and destruction of property

The Ukraine Invasion signals an earthquake in Arctic and Nordic politics

A member of the Territorial Defense Forces of Ukraine stands inside the damaged Kharkiv regional administration building in the aftermath of a shelling in downtown Kharkiv on 1 March. Sergey Kozlov—EPA-EFE/Shutterstock. Mikkel Schøler As the Putin regime mires down in Ukraine 10 days

It’s time for an Arctic Council 2.0

The flags of the Arctic Council member states and permanent participants. (Linnea Nordström / Arctic Council Secretariat) Alice Rogoff For eight years since anonymous “little green men” from Russia invaded Crimea, the Arctic Council has continued to operate under the illusion of

Nordic Plus: Successor to Arctic Council

Nordic Plus: International Cooperation in the Arctic enters a New Era

Image: 11th Arctic Council Ministerial Meeting. © Arctic Council/Flickr. Prof Dr Stefan Kirchner MJI Research Professor of Arctic Law; Head - Arctic Governance Research Group Arctic Centre, University of Lapland Russia at War Russia is waging an illegal war of aggression against Ukraine. Since 24

A Peaceful Arctic Does Not Mean a Neutral One

Leslie Canavera CEO PolArctic LLC As business leaders, we share the weight of encouraging nations to maintain an equilibrium that promotes peace and prosperity. This position does not permit neutrality. It dictates that we hold accountable those political, environmental, and industrial behaviors degrading

Arctic Security and the Russia-Ukraine War: The View from Norway

Sergey Lavrov, Russian Federation's Foreign Minister, signing the Reykjavik Declaration at the 12th Arctic Council Ministerial Meeting in 2021. © Icelandic Ministry for Foreign Affairs/Gunnar Vigfússon and Arctic Council/Flickr Dr Marc Lanteigne Associate Professor of Political Science University of Tromsø As a frontline state,

Why the Ukraine Invasion is not about NATO

"The Russian bear is visibly taken aback by a brave Ukrainian." © Alisdare Hickson/Flickr Igor Putinovich Ever since Russia began amassing 190,000 troops on the Ukrainian border (the largest mobilisation of troops since the Second World War), a number of western commentators have

The War on Ukraine: Consequences for Finland and the Arctic

Pro-Ukraine protect in Trafalgar Square, London. © Alisdare Hickson/Flickr Prof Timo Koivurova Research Professor Arctic Centre, University of Lapland On 24 February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine from various directions. The war continues to rage as the Ukrainians have shown their perseverance and unity. A

Now and Never: Banning Hydrocarbon Extraction in Antarctica Forever

Dr Patrick Flamm and Dr Alan Hemmings The Glasgow Climate Pact called the 2020s a “critical decade” for still meeting the Paris Agreement targets. Initiatives aimed at leaving fossil fuel deposits in the ground have not extended to Antarctica, with massive

Latvia’s Arctic Connections: Interview with Mārtiņš Vargulis

Alisa Musanovic Today’s interview is with Mārtiņš Vargulis, a researcher at the Latvian Institute of International Affairs and lecturer at Riga Stradiņš

Latvia’s Arctic Connections: Interview with Mārtiņš Vargulis

The Estonian Polar Club: Interview with Katrin Savomägi

Czech-in the Arctic: Interview with Jan Dusik

Estonia in the Arctic: Interview with Ambassador Märt Volmer

One Arctic or Two? Polar Geopolitics in the Wake of the Ukraine Conflict

Latvia in the Arctic: Interview with State Secretary Andris Pelšs

Poland’s Polar Policy: Interview with Dr Michał Łuszczuk

Cold Climate Research in Poland: Interview with Dr Mateusz Strzelecki, University of Wrocław

Finno-Ugric Connections: Interview with Sven-Erik Soosaar

Estonia and the Arctic: Interview with Prof Rein Vaikmäe

Czech-Arctic Connections: Interview with Amb. Zdeněk Lyčka

The World Needs the Arctic Council Now More Than Ever

Third Pole’s View on the North Pole – India’s Arctic Policy

Ukraine Stands Alone Calling for Sanctioning of Russia During IMO Extraordinary Council Meeting

Prof Akiho Shibata: How can the Antarctic Treaty System respond to the Russian invasion of Ukraine?

Does the Antarctic Treaty System have a moral duty to respond to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

Royal Navy shows solidarity with Ukraine at Antarctic research base

Statement of the International Committee of Indigenous Peoples of Russia

Ukraine: Why this war is different

Putin is after more than land — he wants the religious soul of Ukraine

Research Services

Policy Services

Trade Services

Latest Projects

UK-Arctic Trade and Investment Observatory

Coronavirus Observatory: Tracking the Pandemic in the Arctic and the Antarctic

All-Party Parliamentary Group for Greenland (Greenland APPG)

Polar Podcasts: Stories from Greenland’s Geologists

Geostrategic Futures in the Southern Ocean and Antarctica

PRPI in the News

Search