Carpe Diem: Seizing the Opportunity in the Arctic with a Comprehensive U.S. Arctic Strategy

摘要

The United States must make protection of its environmental and economic interests in the Arctic a major priority; it needs to develop a comprehensive strategy to accomplish this or face being frozen out by the other Arctic nations. Due to drastic climate change, which has increased accessibility to the region, the Arctic region holds increasingly significant implications for the national interests of the United States. This situation is being influenced mainly by four dynamics: climate change, the economy, sovereignty issues, and the environment. This paper examines the elements of each of these dynamics and their specific implications for the United States. The emerging relevance of the Arctic has substantial promise for the United States and other Arctic nations, especially in terms of its potential energy resources. However, the Arctic also is a unique and vulnerable ecosystem. Endangering such an ecosystem could have global impacts that are not yet known, so rushing into the region without having protective regimes and response capabilities in place would be imprudent and irresponsible. The new and dynamic situation in the Arctic presents the United States with opportunities that go beyond the region, and can be used as a catalyst to begin reshaping world opinion, particularly as it concerns foreign affairs, energy policy, and the environment. By effectively using its instruments of national power, the United States can simultaneously secure its own interests while promoting a cooperative regional approach to the issues of an emerging Arctic region. In doing so, the United States could improve its international reputation and influence the security environment worldwide. The proposed U.S. Arctic Strategy could foster a new atmosphere of cooperation in the Arctic that provides for the sustainable development of its vast economic opportunities while protecting it as a critical environment.