Arctic Governance in an era of Geopolitical Rupture: Amb. David Balton on the CAO Fisheries Agreement, relations with Russia, and how to revitalize the Arctic Council

Geopolitical rupture has been a reality in the Arctic since February 2022, but not all forms of Arctic governance have been equally affected. While the Arctic Council has struggled to function since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Central Arctic Ocean Fisheries Agreement has remained resilient, representing perhaps the last bastion of the otherwise defunct idea of Arctic exceptionalism. What can these contrasting experiences tell us about the future of Arctic governance, and Western engagement with Russia?

In this episode, Ambassador David Balton, Senior Fellow with the Belfer Center’s Arctic Initiative at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, discusses these two important governance regimes and what their divergent trajectories reveal about the possibilities and limits of Arctic cooperation in the current geopolitical environment. Having played a central role in both, including chairing the negotiations that produced the CAO Fisheries Agreement and serving as Chair of the Senior Arctic Officials during the previous U.S. Arctic Council chairmanship, Ambassador Balton also offers recommendations for how the Arctic Council—now 30 years old—might be revitalized despite today’s geopolitical challenges.

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