Northern European countries are becoming increasingly concerned about where Russian President Vladimir Putin might focus his attention next, and scrutiny is falling on the Arctic. Russia’s continued military build-up in the region – especially the modernization of its Northern Naval Fleet – has done little to dispel fears of a Cold War style confrontation.
Today, the Arctic is more crowded and militarized than at any time since the Cold War. Yet the Russian threat remains, for now, relatively predictable. By contrast, it is the United States’ erratic manoeuvring that is causing the greatest anxiety among smaller European Arctic states.
