New claims to the Arctic
During the Cold War, the Arctic was part of the border between NATO and the Soviet Union, densely dotted with military bases with expensive equipment. After the collapse of the USSR, when hostilities temporarily eased, many of these sites were dismantled. Today, however, relations between the West and Russia have again cooled considerably, and they are gradually returning to their previous Cold War-era positions.
In this regard, special attention should be paid to the so-called “Arctic Doctrine” presented at the end of 2019 in the US Congress, drafted by the Department of Defense and aimed at blocking the Russian Northern Sea Route. It stresses that the Arctic “has a very direct bearing on America’s national security.” Moreover, the “Arctic Doctrine” aims at weakening the position of the US strategic competitors in the region – Russia and China.
