The Washington PostThe Washington Post

An Arctic 'Great Game' as NATO allies and Russia face off in far north

By Emily Rauhala

17 Jul 2023 · 6 min read

informed Summary

  1. The Arctic region is seeing increased military, diplomatic, and intelligence interest due to melting polar ice opening new trade routes, a race for natural resources, and the reshaping of global security. The war in Ukraine and deteriorating Western relations with Moscow have heightened alert levels and increased the geostrategic importance of the Arctic.

VARDO, Norway - The officers in tracksuits looked a little nervous as they rapped on the window of the rental car.

They wondered what we were doing here, on an island high above the Arctic Circle, some 4,000 miles from Washington and not far from where Russia bases some of its most sophisticated submarines. Was there a reason we were taking pictures of the hulking white radar stations that look out from Norway to Russia's Kola Peninsula?

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