Future of the Arctic Council: Nuuk, Copenhagen and the upcoming Kingdom of Denmark chairship with Greenland in the lead

Future of the Arctic Council: Nuuk, Copenhagen and the upcoming Kingdom of Denmark chairship with Greenland in the lead

Author: Eric Paglia March 7, 2025 Duration: 47:57
In May, the Kingdom of Denmark takes over from Norway chairship of an Arctic Council that continues to face an array of significant challenges in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and other geopolitical developments. At the same time, there has also been uncertainty on whether the center of gravity of the Kingdom’s chairship will be in Copenhagen or in the Greenlandic capital of Nuuk. Here in part 2 of the “Future of the Arctic Council” session recorded live at the recent Arctic Frontiers conference, Christian Prip, senior researcher at the Fridtjof Nansen Institute, and Gosia Smieszek-Rice, postdoctoral researcher at the Arctic University of Norway, discuss the Kingdom of Denmark’s rapidly approaching chairship, the transition from Norway to Denmark, and some of the pressing issues that Nuuk and Copenhagen will face in leading the Council’s efforts to bring a degree of coherence to Arctic governance despite difficult geopolitical conditions. Polar Geopolitics has now started a Substack where we will provide edited episode transcripts, original articles and analyses, and other content on geopolitics, the Arctic and Antarctica:  https://polargeopolitics.substack.com  Polar Geopolitics on Twitter / X: @polargeopol Polar Geopolitics YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@PolarGeopolitics    Polar Geopolitics on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/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
The European Union as emerging geopolitical player in the Arctic [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 20:57
The emphatic European response to the Greenland Crisis has made clear its growing interest in the Arctic at a time when the European Union is working on an updated Arctic policy. How will a radically altered geopolitical…