Newsletter Trump, NATO, the Arctic and Russia: What Now, Arctic?

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One and a half months before the US president will be named Donald Trump, we ask ourselves, what will this entail for the Arctic and those who live here? 

There is no clear answer, or as Commentator Arne O. Holm puts it: 

“The problem is that no one knows what he's going to do.That will affect the Arctic not just for the four following years but perhaps forever.” 

The upcoming Trump presidency could provide some relief for Russia’s Arctic LNG project, experts told HNN. 

Now, political discussions surrounding the EU’s imports of Russian liquefied natural gas also continue at the highest level. 

The US has shown increased interest in the High North in recent years. As recently as this summer, the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs rejected a US application to land a military aircraft at Svalbard Airport. 

NATOs Commander of Submarines is visiting Norway and says that the defense alliance conducts regular submarine patrols in the North Atlantic and surveils maritime activity closely using aircraft and surface ships.

The Norwegian Armed Forces are now conducting an exercise with the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman and its air forces outside the northern Norwegian coast. 

Research and fisheries 

Trust Arktikugol, Russia's company in Svalbard, has now entered a partnership with a fourth Russian university for research and education cooperation. 

Norway and the EU Commission have agreed on several issues related to fisheries that arose after the UK left the union. 

This week, Holm participates in a debate about deep seabed mining under the auspices of SALT. The disputed topic is attacked and highlighted by many parties. The debate is part of the series "Is all that glitters gold?" and you can follow the debate live on Thursday at 18.45.

Researchers believed to have found evidence of oxygen production on the deep seabed without the help of sunlight are now facing stark criticism. 

Make sure to follow Holm and HNN's mobile home on his journey through Northern Norway. 

Feel free to participate in the debate and send your contribution to hinn@nord.no. And please share the newsletter with other interested parties. 

Best, Editor-in-Chief Trine Jonassen