What’s New? is a podcast on Arctic geopolitics, governance, and security. Created and hosted by FNI researcher Serafima Andreeva, and supported by the Arctic Institute and the Fridtjof Nansen Institute. The podcast brings together leading experts from various fields of Arctic geopolitics and many Arctic and non-Arctic states to unpack key developments, challenge common misconceptions, and discuss the current dynamics of todays changing Arctic.

Episodes

  1. Russia in the Arctic: What does the Arctic mean for Russia today? In this episode of What’s New?, Serafima Andreeva speaks with Pavel Devyatkin, Senior Researcher at the Arctic Institute and affiliated with the Higher School of Economics in Moscow, about Russia’s Arctic priorities after 2022.

    The discussion highlights the Arctic as an economic backbone for Russia—central to energy exports, the Northern Sea Route, and regional development—while also examining the region’s military significance, particularly the role of the Northern Fleet and Russia’s defensive “bastion” posture.

    The episode challenges common assumptions about an impending Arctic conflict, showing how restraint, deterrence, and cooperation continue to coexist despite heightened NATO–Russia tensions and the war in Ukraine.
     

     
  2. The United States in the Arctic: What does the Arctic actually represent for the United States today? In this episode of What’s New?, Serafima Andreeva speaks with Gabriella Gricius (University of Konstanz; The Arctic Institute; NAADSN) about how Washington approaches the Arctic as a space of security competition, domestic politics, and strategic uncertainty.

    The conversation spans US interest in Greenland, the symbolic politics of icebreakers, shifting priorities under the current administration, and what these changes mean for the Arctic Council. It also examines why global superpower status does not automatically translate into regional Arctic leadership, how climate and environmental change shape security in Alaska, and why alliances with Canada and other Arctic states remain central. The episode challenges simplified narratives of great-power rivalry by showing how power, restraint, and insecurity coexist in US Arctic policy.
     

     
  3. China in the Arctic: In this episode, with FNI Researcher Erdem Lamazhapov as a guest, we explore China's multifaceted interests in the Arctic, focusing on scientific research, commercial ambitions (shipping), and geopolitical strategies. We talk about the Polar Silk Road initiative, China's identity as a near-Arctic state, and common misconceptions about its role in the region. Additionally, the conversation addresses concerns about dual-use technologies in scientific research and speculates on future trends in China's Arctic engagement amid rising great-power competition.

 

 

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