Cooperation Amidst Tensions
Transatlantic Roundtable
On April 24, 2015, the chairmanship of the Arctic Council passed from Canada to the United States. The focus of the 2015–2017 agenda shows that the chairmanship will focus on issues that are solvable predominantly by international cooperation: climate change, the promotion of renewable energy, and environmentally sound economic activity in the Arctic region. Despite the crisis in Ukraine, it is important to promote cooperation with Russia in those areas where there are common goals, like in the Arctic. Will the US be able to find an inclusive way of managing these issues? What other topics will the US address during its chairmanship? Will commercial usage of Arctic resources be in balance with environmental concerns? Can the Arctic Council serve as a platform to keep diplomatic channels to Russia open? How big is the danger of the Arctic finally becoming a zone for military competition? Why does the Arctic matter?
Speakers:
Hon. Fran Ulmer
Chair, US Arctic Research Commission
Arne Riedel
Fellow and Coordinator Arctic, Ecologic Institute
The event is organized by the USA/Transatlantic Relations Program and will be held in English. Karsten D. Voigt will chair the discussion.
