OUTLINE

I. Brief introduction and sort of executive summary

II. The Arctic
A. Brief description (geography)
“The geopolitical importance of the Arctic was already realized by the U.S. Secretary of State, William Seward, when he bought Alaska from
Russia; and he wanted to secure also Iceland and Greenland. After him little interest was shown in the Arctic, in spite of the attempts of
such explorers as Robert Peary and Vilhjalmur Stefansson to make America aware of the geopolitical importance of the area. Indifference
continued even when the energetic pro- grams of the U.S.S.R. in the Far North became known during the 1920s and 1930s.” (Roucek,
Geopolitics of the Arctic)
B. Brief overview of its geopolitical importance
i. Military (security)
- “superpower corridor for over-the-ice bombing routes and under-the-ice nuclear
powered submarine voyages” (Roucek, J., Geopolitics of the Arctic, p. 463)
ii. Economic (trade routes)
- shorter “Great Circle Route” (Roucek, J., Geopolitics of the Arctic, p. 463)
iii. Energy
- untapped, under the ice caps?

III. Russia’s Geopolitical Interest on the Arctic

A. Brief description of Russia’s landscape
B. Mackinder’s Heartland and Rim theory?
C. Russia’s Foreign Policy in the Arctic Region
i. Military
ii. Economic
iii. Energy
IV. Conclusion
A. What’s next for Russia?; or
B. Possible future for Russia’s place in the Arctic