Diplomacy at the Top of the World

Foreign ministers will convene to discuss the Arctic region August 31. James Collins, Ross A. Virginia and Kenneth S. Yalowitz, writing for Project Syndicate, point out the common interests for Russia and the United States. While at odds over the former’s interventions in Ukraine, the two cooperated on negotiating a deal on Iran’s nuclear program. Russia, the United States along with Canada, Norway, and Denmark have agreed to prohibit commercial fishing in the Arctic’s international waters until research describes how climate change impacts fish stocks. Russia has submitted a claim under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea to extend its territorial shelf in the Arctic; the authors urge the United States to ratify that same treaty. Resource development is inevitable and costly; low prices of oil and other commodities could pose delays. With the Arctic lacking infrastructure for monitoring and rescue operations, cooperation is essential. – YaleGlobal