J Peter Pham joins BBC Newsday to Discuss Coup in Guinea 7/09

Anu Fredriksson, Executive Director for Arctic Frontiers, gives a local perspective on living in the Arctic. Anu is originally from Oulu in Northern Finland and has worked with Arctic issues for over a decade. She has previously served as Director at the Arctic Economic Council and as an Arctic Policy Advisory at the Finnish Embassy in Norway.

Voices From The North Ep 1 Anu Fredrikson

Mathieu Boulègue, Senior Research Fellow for the Russia and Eurasia Programme at Chatham House, takes a closer look at Russia’s deep ties to the Arctic and its posturing in the region. Mathieu specializes in Russian security and defence issues and leads Arctic work at Chatham House.

Voices From The North Ep 2 Mathieu Boulègue

Dr. Camilla Tenna Nørup Sørensen, Associate Professor at the Royal Danish Defence College, discusses the changing geopolitical dynamics of the Arctic.

“If China starts pushing for a more open, international alternative to the Arctic Council and governance led by Arctic states,” Dr. Sørensen argues, a vacuum could be opened for “China and other non-Arctic states to argue that other governance mechanisms are needed in the Arctic.”

As the Arctic gains greater global attention, the Nordic states have a strong interest in maintaining the norms and international governance that have contributed to the region’s low-tensions and spirit of cooperation.

Voices From The North Ep 3 Camilla Soerensen

Dr. David P. Auerswald, Professor of Security Studies at the U.S. National War College, takes a closer look at military activity in the Arctic and the associated risks of the region’s increased militarization. 

“From a security perspective,” Dr. Auerswald argues, “the Arctic is the shortest path between Russia and the US.” The European Arctic, “is a possible conflict zone should Russia decide to escalate the current Ukrainian conflict…in an effort to flank NATO militarily.”

His recently published report, “All security is local,” assesses the Arctic defense policies of Canada, Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden in greater detail.

Voices From The North Ep 4 David Auerswald

Artful Balance: Future US Defense Strategy and Force Posture in the Gulf

A discussion with:
Barry Pavel
Vice President and Director, Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security
Atlantic Council

Bilal Y. Saab
Senior Fellow for Middle East Security, Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security
Atlantic Council

Moderated by:
Vago Muradian
Editor
Defense News

For more than four decades, the United States has had a robust web of partnerships with the states comprising the Gulf Cooperation Council. This system has helped to achieve common strategic goals, including securing the free and constant flow of oil from the region to the world at large; preventing the rise of a hostile regional power that could threaten Middle East security; and countering Islamist extremists that seek to violently transform politics and society. The relevance and importance of these goals in today's strategic and regional environment have only increased. However, such pillars face increasing pressures due to historic winds of change in the region, including a likely nuclear deal with Iran; new global trends in disruptive technology, demographics, and energy; and important shifts in Gulf politics. To continue to protect collective interests and strengthen security in the Gulf, the United States needs to revise its defense strategy, reshape its military presence, and recalibrate its level of political engagement in the Gulf.

Please join the Atlantic Council on Monday, March 23 from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. to launch a report by Bilal Y. Saab and Barry Pavel entitled Artful Balance: Future US Defense Strategy and Force Posture in the Gulf. In it, Saab and Pavel provide an in-depth, strategic review of existing US defense strategy and force posture in the Gulf and propose a set of recommendations for a more geographically distributed, operationally resilient, politically sustainable, and tactically robust force posture. The report draws on recent conversations held by the authors over a seven-month period with senior Arab Gulf and US officials in Washington, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Riyadh, and Muscat.

Artful Balance: Future US Defense Strategy and Force Posture in the Gulf

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Artful Balance: Future US Defense Strategy and Force Posture in the Gulf

Atlantic Council

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