America and the Arctic: A Song of Fire and Ice

Chris, Zack, and Melanie get together to talk about ongoing
developments in the Arctic. Climate change is causing flooding
and environmental damage, but it is also providing new
opportunities for navigation, mining, fishing, tourism, and
defense. How can America’s national security and economic
interests best be protected in the face of increasing Russian and
Chinese activity there? How should we prioritize the region when
we have other critical threats to address? Have we and our
partners that border the Arctic missed chances for influence
there that we cannot recover? Is it possible for the United
States to strengthen its position there without appearing to
encourage an arms race?


Chris wishes we could consider the merits of arguments instead of
personally attacking those making them, Zack condemns the Chinese
government’s treatment of Olympian Peng Shuai, and Melanie looks
at the hypocrisy of governors who claim to support free markets
but want to prohibit businesses from imposing vaccine mandates.


Links:


Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Jim Townsend, Partners,
Competitors, or a Little of Both?: Russia and China in the
Arctic, Center for a New American Security, March
2021, https://www.cnas.org/publications/reports/partners-competitors-or-a-little-of-both.


Andrea Kendall-Taylor, Jim Townsend, Lawson W. Brigham, and Nick
Lokker, Navigating Relations with Russia in the Arctic: A
Roadmap for Stability, Center for a New American Security, Nov.
18,
2021, https://www.cnas.org/publications/reports/navigating-relations-with-russia-in-the-arctic.


Berkeley Lovelace, Jr., “Pfizer says its Covid pill with HIV drug
cuts the risk of hospitalization or death by 89%,” CNBC, Nov. 5,
2021, https://www.cnbc.com/2021/11/05/pfizer-says-its-covid-pill-with-hiv-drug-cuts-the-risk-of-hospitalization-or-death-by-89percent.html.


David Auerswald, “A U.S. Security Strategy for the Arctic,” War
on the Rocks, May 27,
2021, https://warontherocks.com/2021/05/a-u-s-security-strategy-for-the-arctic/.


Frank Jordans, “Vaccine maker BioNTech to use mRNA tech to target
malaria,” Associated Press, July 26,
2021, https://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/vaccine-maker-biontech-mrna-tech-target-malaria-79064005.


Future Foreign Policy Series: Reinvigorating US diplomacy, New
American Engagement Initiative, Nov. 29,
2021, https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event/future-foreign-policy-series-reinvigorating-us-diplomacy/.


NAEI Annual Student Competition,
https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/programs/scowcroft-center-for-strategy-and-security/new-american-engagement-initiative/naei-annual-student-competition/.


Rebecca Hersman and Eric Brewer, Deep Dive Debrief:
Strategic Stability and Competition in the Arctic, Jan. 6,
2021, https://www.csis.org/analysis/deep-dive-debrief-strategic-stability-and-competition-arctic.


Steve Contorno, “Florida Special Session begins as DeSantis
Continues Battle against Vaccine Mandates,” CNN, Nov. 15,
2021, https://www.cnn.com/2021/11/15/politics/desantis-florida-legislature-vaccine-mandates/index.html.


"Taiwan," Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, Oct. 25,
2021, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Y18-07g39g.


Will Quinn, Tweet thread, Nov. 11,
2021, https://twitter.com/wc_quinn/status/1458891500344029189?t=l7ugkXe7tuA75d7XbjYd5Q&s=15.


"WTA says Peng Shuai's call with Olympic officials does not
alleviate concerns about her well-being," ESPN, Nov. 22,
2021, https://www.espn.com/tennis/story/_/id/32688106/wta-says-peng-shuai-call-olympic-officials-not-enough.


Zahra Ullah and Fred Pleitgen, “As the US and Russia Spar Over
the Arctic, Putin Creates New Facts on the Ground,” CNN, May 21,
2021, https://www.cnn.com/2021/05/21/europe/russia-arctic-military-intl-cmd/index.html.