A Reluctant Arctic Power No More? The United States’ Evolving Engagement with the High North

This chapter examines the United States’ evolving Arctic policy, both as a function of the change in presidential administration that took place in January 2021 and Washington’s increasing expressions of concern over Russian and Chinese activities in the High North. The U.S. Arctic (via Alaska) has historically been a largely overlooked region; even during the Cold War, when it played a key role in North America’s defense, the Arctic was regarded as but one spatial element of a broader geopolitical strategy. Despite this, the United States has recently begun paying closer attention to this region, in part due to Moscow’s re-militarization of its Arctic zone and Beijing’s growing interest in the northern cryosphere. However, in contrast to pundits who believe that such activity augurs the advent of a new “cold war,” herein it is argued that the most pressing challenges facing the Arctic are climatic rather than strategic (though the two are obviously interrelated). Contextualized in terms of the rapid physical transformations the High North has undergone in recent years, this text successively considers: (1) climate change and the environment; (2) developing security challenges; (3) emerging economic factors; (4) northern Alaska’s indigenous inhabitants; and (5) regional scientific research. It concludes by summarizing the current situation in the U.S. Arctic.