The World Today

August & September 2013: Cold rush to strike Arctic gold

The shift of the Arctic from the half-forgotten periphery of world affairs to a focus of global interest is irreversible

Articles

The USS Connecticut surfaces through the polar ice. Below, a Norwegian soldier quides in a NATO helicopter. Photo: Getty Images/Stocktrek

No one wants a military stand-off in the Arctic but no one wants to be caught unprepared

An Inuk hunts seals on the Canadian ice. Photo:Getty images/National Geographic Creative

Cooperation between countries is helping to develop an Arctic rulebook

Greenpeace activists demonstrate in Ottowa, Canada. Photo: Michel Comte/AFP/Getty Images

Concerns about the risks of Arctic oil and gas production are rising

Energy giants are all drawn to the Arctic’s vast natural reserve

The Arctic explorer who planted a Russian flag beneath the North Pole answers questions from Helen Womack

Syrian rebels hold the Kurdish flag, right, and pre-Baath Syrian flag. Photo: Bulent Kilic/AFP/Getty Images

Formal partition seems inevitable but it is unlikely

From the editor

When Arctic security is the topic there is no one like Dmitry Rogozin, Russian Deputy Premier in charge of defence industries, to get the conversation going. In a speech on June 28, Rogozin gave warning of a military stand-off in the Arctic, with Russia’s oil installations subject to sabotage by its rivals.

Also in this issue

Putin’s Arctic vision is not clear

Photo: Jason Alden/Bloomberg via Getty Images

The President of Mexico is a man in a hurry. A rare moment of political consensus offers the chance to transform the Mexican economy so future generations will not have to go to the US for a decent wage

Pantsuit aficionado Hillary Clinton turned to Twitter to reinvent her image. Photo: AFP/Getty Images

Tips for politicians to get the most out of the tweet life

Ashin Wirathu, described as the spiritual leader of the anti-Muslim Buddhists. Photo: Aula Bronstein/Getty Images

Muslims face violence in Burma and Sri Lanka

Nate Silver, a data analyst and one-time poker pro who correctly predicted the outcome of the 2012 US election in all 50 states. Photo: Amy E.Price/Getty Images for SXSW

The political scientist who introduced the CIA to game theory explains how logic can improve political forecasting

Back to school: Angela Merkel at a reunion with her East German classmates. Photo: Rick Eglinton/Toronto Star

Germany’s Chancellor: a pragmatic survivor

Conflicts over water will exacerbate tensions

Mayor Rob Ford helps to clean up the city of Toronto. Photo: Rick Eglinton/Toronto Star

Whiff of scandal in a clean city

Africa, a truer picture…

The geneticist and broadcaster believes synthetic biology is about to change our world

Turkish protestors hold Turkish flags during an anti-government protest on Taksim square in Istanbul. Photo: Gurcan Ozturk/AFP/Getty

Saudi art viewed from right to left, 'Evolution of Man' (2010) by Ahmed Mater. Photo: Ahmed Mater

The kingdom lifts the veil

President Obama and his national security team watch a video feed from a drone flying over Osama bin Laden's compound as he is attacked and killed by Navy Seals. Photo: Pete Souza/The White House via Getty Images

Jeremy Scahill Dirty Wars: The World is a Battlefield (Serpent’s Tail £15.99)Mark Mazzetti The Way of the Knife: The CIA, a Secret Army, and a War at the Ends of the Earth (Penguin Putnam £19.69)