Archives Arctic - New Eastern Outlook

Canada’s landmark submarine deal with Germany signals more than defence modernization—it reflects Europe’s growing quest for strategic autonomy as Washington retreats from traditional alliance leadership. Yet by opening a new Arctic front against Russia while loosening transatlantic cohesion, the pact risks exposing NATO’s deepening fractures rather than reinforcing its collective strength.

Shaped by the existing geopolitical dynamics, the Arctic region is coming under a lot of pressure from global powers. Russia and China, on the one hand, are seeking to integrate this region via what China calls a “Polar Silk Road” – something that would make the region’s fossil fuels accessible worldwide. But the US is increasingly worried about these developments. It primarily sees these developments from a zero-sum perspective, with any gains that the Russia-China duo makes directly…