TAI'S RECENT ACTIVITIES ________________ |
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- ANNOUNCEMENTS - TATW wishes you a wonderful summertime! The Arctic Institute’s research and capacity building projects help make the Arctic a more secure, just, and sustainable place – and we depend on the generosity of supporters like you! Thanks to you, we’ve shared over 50,000 stories from the North, networked thousands of people at events, and published over 500 policy analyses. And we won’t stop there! The Arctic Institute is a voluntary organization so we depend on donations to support our operating costs. To continue our efforts in 2024, we would kindly ask for your support! Donate via the link and see you again in the new year! Our most recent op-ed pays tribute to the “Whitehorse Star” newspaper, which ceased publication on May 17, 2024, after 124 years! In the piece, “ Saying Goodbye to an Old Friend: As The Whitehorse Star's 124-Year Run Concludes, its Legacy Continues to Shine Brightly Across the North”, Barry Scott Zellen reflects on this personal connection with the Whitehorse Star through an overview of his contributions to the newspaper! Missed the last five biggest circumpolar stories of last week? Check out The Arctic Institute’s Take Five; short in length but big on insight, from politics and culture to the environment and security. Do you want even better access to our weekly newsletter? Check out The Arctic This Week App! The TATW App gives you everything you need to know to start your week. Download here. Welcome to Radio Arctic x Polar Journal’s new podcast series with the first episode being ‘Polar Opportunities’ - an episode that explore the vibrant world of employment and innovation in the polar regions by delving into the challenges and prospects of the labour market in the poles, featuring Michael Wenger, the founder of Polar Journal, with insightful content on the new job search platform, Polar Jobs. Find out more here! |
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- EVENTS - The Arctic Security Conference 2024, led by Fridtjof Nansens Institutt (FNI) will be a platform where actors with a special interest in the Arctic can exchange and discuss updated findings and trends regarding the security policy situation in the North. The Conference will take place from September 12-14 in Oslo, Norway. FInd out more and register here. |
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- PUBLICATIONS - TAI’s Nima Khorrami has just published a blog post at the blog of the Polar Institute titled “Semiconductor Sanctions Limit Russia’s Strategic Drone Use in the Arctic”. Click here to read Nima's piece! In an argument piece for The Nation, TAI’s Pavel Devyatkin writes about US-Russia cooperation amid the intensifying Arctic climate crisis and Ukraine. You can read Pavel’s article here. TAI’s very own Apostolos Tsiouvalas, Elise Nyborg & Andreas Raspotnik have now published a report discussing the blue economy in relation to fisheries and aquaculture in Alaska, North Norway and Greenland in a comparative context. Click here to download the report and learn about the ArcBlue project! Furthermore, Andreas, along with Marcus J. Schweinberg, has also published an article at the Journal of Environment and Development, discussing the blue economy as a legal concept. Find out more in the piece, “ Slaying the Toothless Tiger: Social Equity as the Legal Element of the Blue Economy”. “The Big Picture of Arctic Geopolitics: An actor-oriented analysis” report is now published by the Fridtjof Nansen Institute (FNI). The report, edited by Iselin Németh Winther and TAI’s Andreas Østhagen, provides a concise overview of some of the key actors in Arctic geopolitics: Russia, the United States, China, the European Union, and India. Click here to access the report, which includes several contributions by TAI members. Focusing on China's comprehensive Arctic strategy, TAI’s Sanna Kopra has now co-authored an article observing that individual aspects of the strategy should not be analyzed on their own but instead, be seen as a manifestation of China's conception of total security in a regional context. You can read Sanna’s piece here! |
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- OPPORTUNITIES - The Arctic Institute is searching for Contributors! Our most recent series explores the implications of NATO activities for Arctic governance, economic development, and militarization in an era of catastrophic climate emergency. The series, edited by TAI’s Alina Bykova and Olivia Wynne Houck, is now seeking thought-provoking submissions related to broader considerations about NATO in the north. Deadline for submissions: TODAY, June 20, 2024. Likewise, our second most recent series, edited by TAI’s Sanna Kopra and Alina Bykova, together with Sohvi Kangasluoma, invites authors to consider the more-than-human aspects and actors in Arctic politics, security and governance. If you are interested in contributing, please submit an abstract of no more than 300 words, as well as a short paragraph about yourself to the series managers by June 21, 2024. Lastly, our third series, edited by TAI’s experts Gabriella Gricius and Trym Eiterjord, explores issues of “ Knowledge Production in the Arctic”. We are interested in contributions that highlight the different dynamics of knowledge production in the Arctic with a focus on Indigenous expertise, science diplomacy, and expertise. Deadline for submissions: June 30, 2024!An Arctic Archives subgroup of the University of the Arctic Thematic Network on Arctic Law was launched At the 16th Polar Law Symposium in Torshavn, Faroe Islands. The objective of the sub-group is to create a forum to share research ideas, opportunities for collaboration and fellowship on the topic of Arctic Archives. It is open to anyone interested in the topic irrespective of formal education or practical experience. TAI’s own President and Managing Director, Romain Chuffart, is a founding member. Interested in Archives in the Arctic? Contact Prof. Rachael Lorna Johnstone (University of Akureyri): rlj@unak.is. |
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WORD OF THE WEEK
Qaaq - marijuana
Inupiaq (Source: Glosbe) |
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THIS WEEK'S TOP STORIES________________ |
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Moscow continues to push for BRICS science centre at SvalbardMoscow has a strong response to Norway's recent White Paper on Svalbard policy, which designates UNIS (the University Centre of Svalbard) as the sole provider of higher education in the region under Norwegian sovereignty. Russia's hope to establish an international science center in the Pyramiden comes after the Russian foreign ministry downgraded Norway to "very unfriendly." This initiative leverages Russia's rights under the 1920 Svalbard Treaty to exploit natural resources and aims to broaden Russia's academic and geopolitical presence in the Arctic. This move also challenges Norway's university centre in Longyearbyen and the international science community in Ny-Ålesund. The main partner for this science centre is the Murmansk Marine Biological Institute (MMBI), with plans to establish the centre within the year, supported by a cooperation agreement with the Polar Research Institute of China ( IBO). On-the-land program aims to destigmatize substance useNallikaaqtaka is a five day land trip, taking place near Kuujjuaq where people with substance issues can take part in cultural activities and clinical support. This program has run three times already and the health board of Nunavik is hoping to run three more sessions this year. This program has been described as a “targeted prevention program for addiction” where the aim is to destigmatize substance abuse, as well as providing cultural support. This program has been used in other Indigenous communities in Canada, and in this case has been adapted for Nunavik ( NN). Norway tests NOMADS amidst air defense upgradeNorway has begun testing its new National Manoeuvre Air Defence System (NOMADS) at Andøya. Developed by Kongsberg Defense and Aerospace, NOMADS is a mobile, high-speed, short-range air defense system designed to protect army units against aerial threats such as drones and cruise missiles. It includes radar, an operational room, and a Short Range Air Defence (SHORAD) module mounted on an armored, amphibious vehicle capable of efficiently moving over rough terrain. This system is one of several broader efforts by Norway to enhance its air defence capabilities (e.g., joint air defence between Finland, Sweden, Norway, and Denmark; purchasing long-range air defence systems), as outlined in its recent long-term Defence Plan. That is not all that is happening in Northern Norway––Andøya will also soon be home to Norway’s newesrt long-range drone base ( BO). |
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June’s Map of the Month shows a roughly 280,000-km area opened to deep-sea mining by a highly controversial Norwegian parliamentary proposal. Norway is the first country to approve of such commercial-scale mining in national waters, driven by increasing global demand for critical minerals essential to the green energy transition. Global environmentalists and especially voices within the UK and EU have called for at least a temporary ban on the practice, citing insufficient data on the impacts to marine biodiversity and broader environment. The Norwegian state argues that their approach, including a lengthy period of exploration and mapping, will gather essential cautionary data (Source: WWF Global Arctic Programme, adapted from Kystverket). |
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