The Arctic Age that Wasn’t?

In a World
Politics Review article published last Friday, I wrote that despite
record low ice melt last year, the Arctic’s harsh environment is not giving way
to commercial growth as quickly as some may expect. For example, after a
hopeful summer, Shell suspended its oil and gas exploratory drilling in part because
its equipment kept getting damaged by dangerous ice floes and strong ocean
currents. Operations are expected to resume this summer. 

As a result, U.S. policymakers charged with safeguarding
America’s interests in the Arctic should continually recalibrate their
expectations for commercial and other activity in the region in order to
enhance their planning efforts. After all, the kinds of resources that the U.S.
Coast Guard and other federal agencies will need to bring to bear in the Arctic
are linked to the pace and development of activity in the region. And while the
Arctic may one day be buzzing with eco-tourists, oil and gas drillers and deep
sea fishers, it may fall short of our expectations and we should plan
accordingly.

Read the full piece on World
Politics Review here. 

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