Faced with a strategic reconfiguration of the Arctic, France is adopting a
pragmatic and non-escalatory approach aimed at regional stability,
freedom of action and capacity adaptation in extreme environments.
France is concerned with the Arctic region because of strategic interests and international
responsibilities, as well as a long tradition of scientific research on polar environments.
After the end of the Cold War, the circumpolar Arctic experienced a period of regional
cooperation focusing on economic development and environmental issues. This region, and
more specifically the part of the Arctic located on the periphery of Europe (Fig. 1), is now
undergoing rapid security reconfiguration: Russian remilitarization focused on
sanctuarisation of the Arctic bastion (‘strong point of a line of defense’) and China’s growing dual-use presence (‘both civilian and military use’).
Author: Patrick HÉBRARD for POLAR WATCH.
This article is available on the Cercle Polaire website.
The French version is available here.
