Polar Geopolitics - Arctic and Antarctic analysis

About Polar Geopolitics - Arctic and Antarctic analysis

A podcast on the Arctic and Antarctica that applies the lens of geopolitics to analyze a wide range of critical issues pertaining to the polar regions and international affairs. In interviews with leading experts, recurring topics include Greenland, the Arctic Council, climate change, critical raw materials, the Antarctic Treaty System, hybrid warfare, science diplomacy, great power competition between the United States, China and Russia, sustainable development, Svalbard, NATO, Arctic shipping, Alaska, AI, technology and critical infrastructure, the Baltic Sea, military and national security, energy, the role of indigenous peoples in Arctic governance, and more. Polar Geopolitics is hosted by Dr. Eric Paglia, a podcast producer and environmental historian at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden.

Publisher

Eric Paglia

Category

news

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

23 May 2018

Latest episode

17 Sept 2026

Latest episodes

92 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   17 Sept 2026

   Strategic Gateway: Klaus Dodds on the Geopolitics of the South Atlantic and Antarctica in the context of the reignited Falklands-Malvinas dispute

   The Falkland Islands, called Islas Malvinas by Argentina, are a crucial strategic gateway to Antarctica and the sub-Antarctic islands for Great Britain and others. The centuries-old sovereignty dispute between Argentina and the UK over the islands has in recent weeks reignited and could come to have wider implications for the geopolitics of the South Atlantic and Antarctica. Prof. Klaus Dodds, who has written an array of books and articles on the enduring dispute, joins the podcast to discuss the geopolitical dynamics of an increasingly strategic region that is attracting heightened attention in an era of hemispheric defense-thinking and Great Power Competition. Polar Geopolitics on Twitter / X: @polargeopol Polar Geopolitics on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/polargeopolitics Polar Geopolitics on SubStack: https://polargeopolitics.substack.com/ Polar Geopolitics YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@PolarGeopolitics Polar Geopolitics on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/polargeopolitics/ Polar Geopolitics website: http://www.polargeopolitics.com Polar Geopolitics on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/polargeopolitics Polar Geopolitics on PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=KXUVZKGALMFXU

2. 

   1 Sept 2026

   Arctic Governance in an era of Geopolitical Rupture: Amb. David Balton on the CAO Fisheries Agreement, relations with Russia, and how to revitalize the Arctic Council

   Geopolitical rupture has been a reality in the Arctic since February 2022, but not all forms of Arctic governance have been equally affected. While the Arctic Council has struggled to function since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Central Arctic Ocean Fisheries Agreement has remained resilient, representing perhaps the last bastion of the otherwise defunct idea of Arctic exceptionalism. What can these contrasting experiences tell us about the future of Arctic governance, and Western engagement with Russia? In this episode, Ambassador David Balton, Senior Fellow with the Belfer Center’s Arctic Initiative at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, discusses these two important governance regimes and what their divergent trajectories reveal about the possibilities and limits of Arctic cooperation in the current geopolitical environment. Having played a central role in both, including chairing the negotiations that produced the CAO Fisheries Agreement and serving as Chair of the Senior Arctic Officials during the previous U.S. Arctic Council chairmanship, Ambassador Balton also offers recommendations for how the Arctic Council—now 30 years old—might be revitalized despite today’s geopolitical challenges. Polar Geopolitics on Twitter / X: @polargeopol Polar Geopolitics on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/polargeopolitics Polar Geopolitics on SubStack: https://polargeopolitics.substack.com/ Polar Geopolitics YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@PolarGeopolitics Polar Geopolitics on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/polargeopolitics/ Polar Geopolitics website: http://www.polargeopolitics.com Polar Geopolitics on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/polargeopolitics Polar Geopolitics on PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=KXUVZKGALMFXU

3. 

   25 Jun 2026

   Far North Frontier of NATO–Russia Tensions: Svalbard's Deterrence Gap with Prof. Katarzyna Zysk

   Situated near Russia’s Kola Peninsula—home to the Northern Fleet and a core component of Russia’s sea-based nuclear deterrent, including ballistic-missile submarines—the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard lies within the perimeter of Moscow’s Arctic bastion defence and has become an increasingly important potential flashpoint in the context of heightened NATO–Russia tensions. In this episode, Prof. Katarzyna Zysk discusses her article “Svalbard’s Deterrence Gap” and examines recent Russian hybrid activities in Svalbard, Russia’s evolving military posture in the Arctic and Baltic regions since the invasion of Ukraine, and how NATO can bridge Svalbard’s emerging deterrence gap. The discussion also includes the implications of growing Russia–China cooperation for Svalbard and the Arctic, and considers how the eventual end of the war in Ukraine could reshape security dynamics across Northern Europe. Also discussed is the recent NATO exercise Cold Response that Prof. Zysk participated in. Polar Geopolitics on Twitter / X: @polargeopol Polar Geopolitics on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/polargeopolitics Polar Geopolitics on SubStack: https://polargeopolitics.substack.com/ Polar Geopolitics YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@PolarGeopolitics Polar Geopolitics on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/polargeopolitics/ Polar Geopolitics website: http://www.polargeopolitics.com Polar Geopolitics on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/polargeopolitics Polar Geopolitics on PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=KXUVZKGALMFXU

Who has been a guest on Polar Geopolitics - Arctic and Antarctic analysis

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Maria Martisiute
• Mia Bennett
• Mads Qvist Frederiksen
• Evan Bloom
• Mary Thompson-Jones

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

482

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Podcast Authority Score: 30 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

34

Social presence

0

YouTube

66

Engagement

0

Contact Polar Geopolitics - Arctic and Antarctic analysis

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.