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The Arctic: global commons or geopolitical battleground?

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This article was originally posted on Northeastern Global News by Cyrus Moulton.

The focus was supposed to be economics, but as the global elite recently gathered in Davos, Switzerland, attention was on an icy, sparsely populated island over 2,300 miles away.

It’s not just Greenland, however, but the entire Arctic region whose future is contested, Northeastern University experts said. Moreover, the experts said the outcome of that contest may change everything from supply chains to international alliances to the impact of climate change. 

“There’s a very strong interest in wanting countries to be cooperative and in following the standards set for global commons around the world,” said Mai’a Cross, dean’s professor of political science, international affairs and diplomacy as well as the director of the Center for International Affairs and World Cultures at Northeastern. “But certain countries are really wanting to, or threatening to, make it much more of a competitive geopolitical space.”

Continue reading on Northeastern Global News.

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