It’s Time for NATO to Engage in the Arctic

[TomSea]

It’s Time for NATO to Engage in the Arctic
    By Anna Wieslander

September 16, 2019


 If you thought the alliance was already involved in the High North, you're not alone. But as great power presence turns hotter, it's time to get in the game.

In a sudden blow, President Donald Trump last month managed to turn the icy Arctic into a hot spot by offering to buy Greenland. With an awkward and disrespectful proposal to Denmark, he highlighted the changing nature of politics in the region. Since the end of the Cold War, the Arctic has been safe haven for cooperation. Not anymore.

Increasingly, great power presence is turning into great power competition. Russia has reopened old military bases and modernized its powerful Northern Fleet, which hosts strategic nuclear assets. Last spring, Russia claimed total military superiority in the Arctic. China, now defining itself as a “near-Arctic” state, is scanning the Arctic for business opportunities and investing heavily in research in preparation for emerging new sea routes and access to natural resources.

Read more at: https://www.defenseone.com/ideas/2019/09/its-time-nato-arctic/159887/?oref=d_brief_nl&mc_cid=8f0bb3adcc&mc_eid=ba816b4660