The New Arctic Order: Geopolitics at the Top of the World
Virtual Briefing Series
Thursday, October 23rd, 2025 | 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM ET
The Arctic is rapidly moving to the center of global politics. Melting ice is opening new shipping lanes and granting access to vast, untapped natural resources. Russia has expanded its military footprint along its Arctic coastline and deepened regional cooperation with Beijing, while the United States and its allies are bolstering their strategic presence through joint drills and upgrades to security infrastructure. Greenland, with its valuable minerals and strategic location between North America and Europe, has also drawn renewed international interest. As the Arctic transforms, will it become a domain of cooperation or competition? And what will the consequences be for trade, energy security, and environmental sustainability?
Join us on Thursday, October 23rd, from 12:00 to 1:00 PM ET for a discussion with Pavel Devyatkin, Senior Associate and Leadership Group member at The Arctic Institute; Ulrik Pram Gad, Senior Researcher in the Global Security and Worldviews unit at the Danish Institute for International Studies and Jennifer Spence, Director of the Arctic Initiative at Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. This conversation will provide key insights into the strategic, economic, and geopolitical stakes of the emerging Arctic order.
THIS SESSION IS OPEN TO EVERYONE AROUND THE WORLD
SPEAKERS:
Pavel Devyatkin
Pavel Devyatkin is a Senior Associate and Leadership Group member at The Arctic Institute. His research areas include Russian Arctic policy, US-Russia and US-China relations, international cooperation, governance, security, and diplomacy. He provides consultations to companies and academic institutions on Arctic affairs.
Pavel’s writing has been published by the US Department of Defense, Russian International Affairs Council, Polar Journal, Strategic Analysis, The Nation, Responsible Statecraft, and others. His publications are listed on Google Scholar.
Pavel has presented his research at international events organized by the Arctic Council, Oxford University, Ocean University of China, Diplomatic Academy of the Russian MFA, US Embassy Moscow, Association of Polar Explorers, Gorchakov Fund, Fridtjof Nansen Institute, USC, IISS, MGIMO, and others. He has provided commentary to Reuters, BBC News and Radio, Washington Post, Al Jazeera, South China Morning Post, TASS, and others. Recordings of some of Pavel’s presentations can be found on Youtube.
A Visiting Lecturer and PhD Fellow at the Higher School of Economics in Moscow, Pavel teaches BA and MA courses on international relations. He was a researcher at the Stanford US-Russia Forum and United Nations (UNCCD) and is a graduate of LSE and UCL. He is an American of Russian ancestry.
Dr. Ulrik Pram Gad
Ulrik Pram Gad, PhD, is a Senior Researcher in the Global Security and Worldviews unit at the Danish Institute for International Studies, where his work focuses on Arctic identity, diplomacy, and security. He studies how Greenland–Denmark relations are shaped by and help to define sovereignty, securitization, paradiplomacy, postcolonial dynamics, and sustainability. A co-editor of Greenland in Arctic Security: (De)securitization Dynamics under Climatic Thaw and Geopolitical Freeze (University of Michigan Press, 2024), he also led the Imagine PoCo project (2020–2024), examining how Greenland imagines its path toward independence. He previously served as Head of Section in both the Greenlandic and Danish Ministries of Foreign Affairs.
Dr. Jennifer Spence
Jennifer Spence is the Director of the Arctic Initiative at Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, with expertise related to sustainable development, international governance, institutional effectiveness, and public policy. Spence has a particular passion for working with Northerners to understand and respond to the opportunities and challenges facing the Arctic region.
Spence currently co-chairs the Arctic Research Cooperation and Diplomacy Research Priority Team for the Fourth International Conference on Arctic Research Planning (ICARP IV), participates as a member of the Climate Expert Group for the Arctic Council’s Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme, and sits as a member of the Yukon Arctic Security Advisory Council.
Spence was the Executive Secretary of the Arctic Council’s Sustainable Development Working Group from 2019-2023. Previously, she taught and conducted research at Carleton University and worked for a 2-year term at the United Nations Development Programme. She also worked for 18 years with the Government of Canada in senior positions related to resource management, conflict and change management, strategic planning, and leadership development.
Spence holds a Ph.D. in public policy from Carleton University, a Master of Arts from Royal Roads University in conflict management and analysis, and a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in political science from the University of British Columbia.
THIS SESSION IS OPEN TO EVERYONE AROUND THE WORLD
Image creator: Mario Hagen from Pixabay
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