Abstract: Eight countries hold vast territories in the Arctic: the United States, Canada, Russia, Norway, Denmark (via Greenland), Finland, Sweden, and Iceland. All eight countries are positioning themselves to protect their sovereignty, defend their competing territorial claims, and develop significant natural resources. Future disputes… Read more
The United States is losing the race to protect its own interests in the Arctic region. It is important to create a sensible policy to field an adequate fleet of U.S.-owned ice-breakers. An adequate, competent, and sustainable fleet is the key to maintaining American presence in the region, protecting U.S.… Read more
Given the backbreaking demands currently placed on American forces around the world, the U.S. military’s significant humanitarian response efforts in Haiti have been extraordinary. This response has been led by the frequently forgotten fifth member of the U.S. Armed Forces: the U.S. Coast Guard. Yet despite its vital contribution… Read more
Testimony before the Environment and Public Works Committee, United States Senate October 28, 2009 My name is Dr. James Jay Carafano. I am the Deputy Director of the Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Institute for International Studies and the… Read more
The price of oil, having soared to an all-time high in July 2008 before plummeting by nearly 75 percent, is rising again and is likely to climb ever higher as the economy recovers. Of course, rational solutions, such as unlocking America's restricted oil potential, appear to be off the table for the Obama Administration and… Read more
Gasoline prices are up since the start of the year, but the summer of 2009 has thus far been a bargain at the pump compared to a year ago when prices exceeded $4 a gallon. However, the respite from sky-high prices is likely temporary. A return to $4 a gallon gas--or higher--will be made… Read more
The Waxman-Markey cap-and-trade bill has engendered tremendous controversy. Concerns abound about the legislation's adverse economic consequences as well as skepticism of its affects on world climate trends. Faced with mounting opposition, the bill's supporters are increasingly making the case that creating a new law is a national security imperative. They are wrong. Indeed, passing the… Read more
It should be obvious, but in Washington it is often not: A big part of the solution to America's energy challenges involves making better use of the resources available beneath American soil and territorial waters. Unfortunately, the federal government has either locked up much of these oil and natural gas reserves or tied them up… Read more
In 2008, the Bush Administration, responding to litigation from an environmental group, listed the polar bear under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Bush Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne also made some changes to the implementation of the ESA in order to limit the adverse consequences. But now, the omnibus appropriations bill, first passed by… Read more
Steven Groves discussing the U.S Arctic Challenges. … Read more
By planting the Russian flag on the seabed under the North Pole and claiming a sector of the Continental Shelf the size of Western Europe, Moscow generated a new source of international tension, seemingly out of the blue. Geopolitics and geoeconomics are driving Moscow's latest moves. The potential profits are certainly compelling. Geologists believe a quarter… Read more
The Arctic is quickly reemerging as a strategic area where vital U.S. interests are at stake. The geopolitical and geo-economic importance of the Arctic region is rising rapidly, and its mineral wealth will likely transform the region into a booming economic frontier in the 21st century. The coasts… Read more
By many accounts, the sea ice that covers much of the earth's Arctic region is melting. The size -- that is, the extent -- and thickness of the Arctic ice floes are diminishing, following a three-decade trend and brushing up against last year's historic lows. While many ruminate about the lives of polar bears, climate change… Read more
The Arctic is quickly reemerging as a strategic area where vital U.S. interests are at stake. The geopolitical and geo-economic importance of the Arctic region is rising rapidly, and its mineral wealth will likely transform the region into a booming economic frontier in the 21st century. The … Read more
The United States Coast Guard is being left behind in the Arctic. While countries such as Russia are building up their...… Read more
The Arctic is becoming the “wild west” of the 21st century, and the Russians have been quick to claim a good part of it...… Read more
When it comes to Arctic policy, the White House is delivering a series of self-inflicted wounds. Though it keeps...… Read more
On November 23, 2009 the Congressional Budget Office issued “Economic and Budget Issue Brief: The Costs of Reducing...… Read more
As the House of Commons in England was debating global warming legislation, something happened that hasn't occurred...… Read more
America needs more oil, and we just found plenty. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) recently published its...… Read more
This week, the U.S. Geological Survey released a report estimating that the Arctic Circle contains 1,670 trillion cubic...… Read more
Senior Fellow, National Security Affairs and Chung Ju-Yung Fellow for Policy Studies
Senior Research Fellow for Russian and Eurasian Studies and International Energy Policy, The Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Institute for International Studies