The Russo-Ukrainian War has altered the trajectory of international cooperation in the circumpolar Arctic. Regardless of whether Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – which began in 2014 – ultimately ekes out some form of victory for Moscow, or is beaten back by Ukrainian resistance with support from the West, it has redefined Arctic geopolitics, and its outcome will shape its future. Consequently, the war threatens to undo 30 years of progress on pan-Arctic cooperation and institution-building that have been a central achievement of the post-Cold War international order. Indeed, the Arctic is now effectively partitioned into two roughly equal halves, with “the A-7 bloc” of capitalist Western democracies (Canada, Denmark, Iceland, Norway, the USA, Sweden and Finland (the latter two destined to eventually become NATO allies) on one side, and an authoritarian and mercantilist Russia on the other. To discuss the implications of the Russo-Ukrainian War on Russia’s Arctic strategy and the implications for Canada we are delighted that Dr. Wilfrid Greaves will be speaking at our next Politics-in-the-Pub. Will is an Assistant Professor of International Relations at the University of Victoria and his research focuses on global politics and security, climate and energy, Indigenous peoples, and the circumpolar Arctic. He is the author of more than thirty peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, and has co-edited two books: Breaking Through: Understanding Sovereignty and Security in the Circumpolar Arctic (with Whitney Lackenbauer) and One Arctic: The Arctic Council and Circumpolar Governance (with Whitney Lackenbauer and Heather Nicol).

🚩To attend the above event, please email cicvicpip@gmail.com no later than Friday, 3 March 2023 and this event is open to CIC members only. The cost to attend is $20, which will cover a first drink and a round of appetizers. Along with confirmation of your attendance, payment instructions will also be provided. If you are not able to attend after registering, and there is a waiting list, your registration fee will be reimbursed. If we have no waiting list, unfortunately refunds cannot be given.