America in the Arctic: the evolution of U.S Arctic engagement in an era of strategic competition and climate change

America in the Arctic: the evolution of U.S Arctic engagement in an era of strategic competition and climate change

Author: Eric Paglia July 17, 2025 Duration: 1:05:37
The United States, due in large part to Donald Trump’s renewed ambition to acquire Greenland, has this year dominated discussions on Arctic geopolitics. A timely new book, America in the Arctic: Foreign Policy and Competition in the Melting North (Columbia University Press 2025), analyses the long-term evolution of U.S. Arctic engagement across an array of issue areas. The book’s author Mary Thompson-Jones, a retired diplomat with the U.S. State Department and currently Professor of National Security Affairs at the U.S. Naval War College, joins the podcast to share her wide-ranging insights into the formation and future directions of U.S. policy in the Arctic, including topics such as climate change and science diplomacy, the Arctic as a theater for strategic competition, the procurement of icebreakers, and the increasingly important role of the U.S. Arctic gateway states of Alaska and Maine. Polar Geopolitics on Twitter / X: @polargeopol Polar Geopolitics on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/polargeopolitics Polar Geopolitics on SubStack: https://polargeopolitics.substack.com/  Polar Geopolitics YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@PolarGeopolitics    Polar Geopolitics on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/polargeopolitics/ Polar Geopolitics website: http://www.polargeopolitics.com Polar Geopolitics on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/polargeopolitics Polar Geopolitics on PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=KXUVZKGALMFXU

Hosted by Eric Paglia, Polar Geopolitics-Arctic and Antarctic analysis digs into the complex forces shaping the world's most remote frontiers. This isn't just a geography lesson; it's a deep exploration of how power, policy, and environmental crisis collide at the poles. Each conversation moves beyond headlines to examine the underlying strategic currents, from the scramble for critical raw materials in Greenland to the delicate governance of the Antarctic Treaty System. You'll hear leading researchers and policymakers unpack the realities of great power competition, where the interests of the United States, China, and Russia intersect with melting ice and emerging sea routes. The discussions regularly grapple with the role of institutions like the Arctic Council, the nuances of science diplomacy, and even the unsettling potential for hybrid warfare in these fragile environments. By applying a sharp geopolitical lens, the podcast reveals how climate change and national ambition are inextricably linked, making the polar regions central to understanding our global future. Tune in for thoughtful, expert-driven analysis that connects distant ice caps to the core issues of international affairs.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 89

Polar Geopolitics - Arctic and Antarctic analysis
Podcast Episodes
Governance disrupted: Pandemic impacts on Antarctica [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:35
Although Antarctica is the only continent without a case of COVID-19, the pandemic has already caused a great deal of disruption to the ATS governance regime, as well as to scientific research and the tourism industry. S…
Risks to Arctic Communities from the Coronavirus [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:17
This episode explores how COVID-19 and the worldwide coronavirus pandemic could lead to an array of serious consequences for vulnerable Arctic communities that already face significant social, economic and public health…
The Geopolitics of the "Polar" [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 15:59
“The creation of polar identity is ultimately a matter of geopolitics, of the value states see in instruments and symbols that speak to polar rather than Arctic or Antarctic interests,” according to a new article entitle…
Resilient Regime at 60: An international law perspective on the ATS [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:53
International law expert Dr. Jeffrey McGee makes the case that the Antarctic Treaty System is a resilient regime that 60 years after its signing remains a shining light of global governance for the area south of 60° Sout…