Arctic

The Arctic, so exquisitely remote, seems at times to drift beyond the reach of global politics. In this frigid expanse, the Arctic Council, an intergovernmental forum standing as a rare bridge, kept its most formidable of rivals—Russia and the US—together, compelling the two to cooperate even as they continued to lock horns elsewhere. It seemed almost too good to be true. The enduring East-West peace once held in the Arctic has come under unaccustomed strain due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, disrupting governance, research and economic activity while challenging decades of practical and operational cooperation across the region’s vast landscapes and seascapes spanning the northern reaches of North America, Europe and Asia.

• Bipandeep Sharma , Uttam Kumar Sinha
• November-December 2024
• Strategic Analysis

Norway’s decision in support of Arctic seabed mining could trigger ecological and geopolitical challenges.

• Bipandeep Sharma
• February 02, 2024
• Issue Brief

Chinese scientists successfully carried out tasks at the North Pole onboard their first domestically built polar ice-breaker Xuelong 2.

• Bipandeep Sharma
• November 10, 2023
• IDSA Comments

India needs to adopt a whole-of-nation approach, involving industry, academia, and think tanks, to build a comprehensive institutional base on Arctic issues.

• Anurag Bisen
• July 27, 2023
• Policy Brief

Given the ongoing geopolitical contestations and the current state of Norway’s relations with Russia, Norway may not be able to fully realise the ambitious agenda for its upcoming presidency of the Arctic Council.

• Bipandeep Sharma
• May 01, 2023
• IDSA Comments

India, in concert with the other four Asian Observers, could use the current state of flux to seek a more inclusive and equitable Arctic Council.

• Anurag Bisen
• April 13, 2023
• Issue Brief

India could help in the resumption of the suspended scientific exchanges by the West in the Arctic.

• Anurag Bisen
• February 17, 2023
• Policy Brief

The Ukraine crisis, shifting geopolitical alliances in the Indo-Pacific and Western-imposed economic sanctions on Russia have strengthened China–Russia cooperation in the Arctic.

• Bipandeep Sharma , Uttam Kumar Sinha
• January 10, 2023
• Issue Brief

The 2022 US National Strategy for the Arctic is reflective of the growing salience of the region in US strategic considerations.

• Anurag Bisen
• October 14, 2022
• Issue Brief

India needs to seize the opportunities presented by the exit of Western companies from the Russian energy sector.

• Anurag Bisen
• September 15, 2022
• Issue Brief