CIAO DATE: 07/2010
April 2010
Center for Strategic and International Studies
During the height of the Cold War, the Arctic region was considered a geostrategic and geopolitical playground for the United States and the Soviet Union, as strategic bombers and nuclear submarines crossed over and raced below the polar cap. Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the Arctic region significantly diminished in strategic importance to the United States. Twenty years later, senior U.S. military and diplomatic officials have turned their attention once again to the Arctic region but in a far different way than during the Cold War.
Resource link: U.S. Strategic Interests in the Arctic: An Assessment of Current Challenges and New Opportunities for Cooperation [PDF] - 4.1M