The Circumpolar
The Circumpolar is a podcast that explains Arctic geopolitics, governance, and security. It explores how Arctic states, institutions, and communities respond to a rapidly changing region. The show is supported by the Fridtjof Nansen Institute and the Arctic Institute. Episodes feature expert analysis and discussion of circumpolar affairs.
Episoder
Critical minerals in the Arctic
China controls almost every critical mineral the green transition needs. Gørild Heggelund, research professor at the Fridtjof Nansen Institute, explains how it built that lead, going back to a Deng Xiaoping line about oil and rare earths, and why the Arctic states now want an alternative. We get into where the deposits are and what mining means for the people who live there, why Greenland's p
Why China plays by the rules in the Arctic
China has no Arctic territory, calls itself a near-Arctic state, and has worked its way into almost every legal regime in the region. Dr Iselin Stensdal talks about international law as China's way in. The conversation covers the Law of the Sea and the Northern Sea Route, the Central Arctic Ocean Fisheries Agreement, the Svalbard Treaty, research rights at Ny-Ålesund, and why China keeps pla
AMAP and the climate data dilemma
For four years, Russian climate data has been nearly impossible to reach. Now the United States is cutting its climate support and stepping back from the IPCC and the UN climate convention. Two of the biggest Arctic states are going dark at the same time, right when we most need to know how fast the climate is shifting.Serafima Andreeva talks with Rolf Rødven, Executive Secretary of AMAP (the Arct
Don't bury the Arctic Council yet
For a dead institution, the Arctic Council has been remarkably busy.Serafima Andreeva draws on four years of research to explain how the Arctic Council survived Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and why it may be one of the more quietly resilient bodies in international diplomacy right now. She goes back to the Council's 1990s origins as a route into post-Soviet Russia, walks thro
Japan & South Korea in the Arctic
Japan and South Korea became Arctic Council observers on at the same time in 2013, and they usually get filed alongside China as "Asian observers." But Tokyo and Seoul are not the same actor.Alma Karabeg is writing her PhD on Japan and South Korea in the Arctic at UiT The Arctic University of Norway. We get into what actually drives the engagement (it is partly nation-building), why sust
Italy in the Arctic
Recorded from Rome, we cover the question of what Italy really wants in the Arctic and how it can achieve it. Marco Dordoni, todays guest, is a PhD candidate at the Università per Stranieri di Perugia, where his doctoral work looks at how NATO's European non-Arctic states approach Arctic security, and a senior researcher at SIOI, the Rome institute that has shaped Italian thinking on internat
Will the next war be hybrid?
Hybrid threats are everywhere and nowhere. Cable cutting in the Baltic, drone incursions in Copenhagen and Oslo, the shadow fleet moving sanctioned oil under foreign flags, self-igniting parcels routed through DHL, GPS jamming that no longer triggers Article 5 conversations the way it once might have. What counts as hybrid, what counts as warfare, and where is the line?Dr. Gabriella Gricius return
Is Russian oil benefiting from the war in Iran?
Arild Moe, research professor at the Fridtjof Nansen Institute, joins Serafima Andreeva to unpack what the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East mean for Russia's Arctic energy sector. They discuss whether Russia is really benefiting from higher oil prices, why the "Arctic dream economy" looks increasingly fragile, the future of Yamal LNG as Europe prepares to phase out Russian gas, a
Can we explore space without colonising the Earth?
What does space sustainability actually mean, and why does it matter for the Arctic? In this episode of The Circumpolar, Serafima sits down with Tom Gabriel Royer, PhD candidate in space law at the University of Lapland, co-lead of Working Group 5 on COST Action FOGOS, and Visiting Researcher at the Arctic Centre, to talk through what's happening in the space sector right now and where the re
Geopolitics of Outer Space: competition, militarisation, cooperation?
Is space governed well enough, and can we still prevent it from becoming a field of conflict or competition? Serafima sits down with Michael Byers, Professor of Political Science at the University of British Columbia, co-director of the Outer Space Institute and author of Who Owns Outer Space.Space is more governed than people think, Michael argues. The 1967 Outer Space Treaty was a remarkable doc
France in the Arctic
France is not an Arctic state, but it has been present in the region longer than most. Dr. Florian Vidal, senior researcher at UiT's Center for Geopolitics, Peace and Security, joins us to map the shape of that presence and the direction it is now taking.Much of France's standing in the Arctic rests on science. French polar research goes back to the 19th century, and the station at Ny-Ål
Arctic Shipping and the Northern Sea Route
Research professor Arild Moe from the Fridtjof Nansen Institute joins us to discuss Russia's Arctic ambitions and the Northern Sea Route. How realistic are Russia's development plans? And what role is China really playing?The Northern Sea Route is many things for Russia: the shortest distance between its eastern and western borders, a way to access the coast of Siberia and its vast natur
What can an artist do in the face of Arctic climate change?
What can an artist actually do in the face of climate change? Ruth Maclennan is an artist, filmmaker, and researcher affiliated with the Scott Polar Research Institute in Cambridge. She has spen many years trying to answer that question through her own practice, from the Russian taiga to the glaciers of Svalbard.In this episode, recorded during the fifth Arctic Art Forum symposium in Norway, Ruth
Art and the Arctic: Who gets to tell the stories of the north?
In this episode, Serafima speaks with Ekaterina Sharova, art historian, curator, and doctoral researcher at the University of Lapland. As the co-founder of the Arctic Art Forum, she has spent a decade building platforms for artists and cultural workers across the circumpolar North.We discuss the origins of the forum, which started in 2016 with a focus on "embodied knowledge" and rediscov
EU in the Arctic: Soft Power or Overextension?
What is the Arctic for the European Union?In this episode of What’s New, host Serafima Andreeva speaks with Andreas Raspotnik, Director of the High North Center for Business and Governance and senior researcher affiliated with the Fridtjof Nansen Institute and The Arctic Institute, about the evolution of EU Arctic policy and what Brussels can realistically achieve in a rapidly changing geopolitica
Iceland in the Arctic
In this episode of What’s New, Serafima Andreeva speaks with Guðbjörg Ríkey Th. Hauksdóttir about Iceland’s evolving role in Arctic geopolitics. The conversation explores how Iceland has shifted from viewing the Arctic primarily as an economic opportunity to treating it as a core security concern shaped by great-power competition.The episode examines Iceland’s unique position as a founding member
Norway in the Arctic: The ears and eyes of the High North
In this episode of What’s New?, Serafima Andreeva speaks with Iselin Nemeth Winther from the Fridtjof Nansen Institute about how Norway understands and navigates the Arctic today.The conversation begins by clarifying that the Arctic is not a remote periphery for Norway, but an integrated part of the country. Nearly nine per cent of the population lives in the Norwegian Arctic, which includes citie
The Great Power Concert Is Back. What Does It Mean for the Arctic?
In this episode of What’s New?, Serafima Andreeva speaks with Iver Neumann, Professor and Director at the Fridtjof Nansen Institute, about what the return of great power politics means for the Arctic and for the international system more broadly.Neumann challenges the idea that geopolitics is a simple contest between self-contained states. Power, he argues, rests on social and institutional founda
Trump, Greenland, and the Changing Arctic Order
Donald Trump’s fixation on Greenland has been top of the agenda for the previous weeks, but what is it really about? In this episode of What’s New?, host Serafima Andreeva speaks with Professor Andreas Østhagen (Fridtjof Nansen Institute) and Erdem Lamazhapov (Fridtjof Nansen Institute) about what the US push to acquire Greenland reveals about a shifting Arctic order.They argue that the story is l
Canada’s Arctic at Home: Rights, Everyday Realities, and Preparedness
In this episode of What’s New? Arctic Geopolitics, host Serafima Andreeva explores Canada’s Arctic from a local and Indigenous perspective. Recorded in Ottawa together with Samuel Huyer (Trent University, North American and Arctic Defence and Security Network) and Justin Barnes (Harvard Arctic Initiative, NAADSN).They unpack what Arctic governance looks like on the ground in Nunavut, the Northwest
Why the Arctic Matters to Canada’s Security
In this episode of What’s New?, Host Serafima Andreeva is joined in Ottawa by Nicholas Glesby, Network Administrator at the North American and Arctic Defence and Security Network and PhD candidate at Trent University, to unpack how Canada views the Arctic from an international and security perspective.The conversation explores Canada’s new Arctic foreign policy and its four pillars, the growing em
What's the deal with Arctic Geopolitics?
In this episode, our guest Prof. Andreas Østhagen covers the ebbs and flows of Arctic Geopolitics, and how they intertwine with international relations elsewhere. This discussion covers the rapid changes in Arctic geopolitics, potential conflicts, hybrid threats, and the influence of non-Arctic states like China and India. We also explore the concept of Arctic exceptionalism, hybrid threats, and t
China in the Arctic
In this episode, Erdem Lamazhapov (Researcher, FNI) is a guest, and we explore China's interests in the Arctic, focusing on scientific research, commercial ambitions (shipping), and geopolitical strategies. We talk about the Polar Silk Road initiative, China's "identity" as a near-Arctic state, and common misconceptions about its role in the region. Additionally, the conversati
The United States in the Arctic
In this conversation with Dr. Gabriella Gricius, we explore the role of the United States in the Arctic, focusing on military, economic, and environmental interests. We discuss shifts in Arctic policy in the second Trump administration, the significance of the Arctic Council, and the complexities surrounding U.S. ambitions in Greenland. We also cover misconceptions about U.S. power in the Arctic a
Russia's interests in the Arctic
In the second episode of "What's New?", we will be covering Russia in the Arctic. Our guest, Pavel Devyatkin, has been researching Russia for some years and is currently working from Moscow. We cover issues related to why the Arctic is important for Russia, whether it is a threat in the region, as well as the cooperation between China and Russia.
