Fall Research Expo 2021

Cold Rush: Trade, Energy and Cryptocurrency in the Russian Arctic and Beyond

With rising global temperatures due to climate change, ice coverage in the Arctic sea has been steadily shrinking. For Russia, its roughly 5,000 kilometers of Arctic coastline are increasingly becoming resource goldmines, particularly in energy and gas deposits. Russia isn’t the only player in the game: countries from the US to Canada to China and Iceland want a stake in this novel and treasure-laden environment. The Arctic is poised to be a center for state conflict and Great Power competition as it becomes more and more accessible. I looked at three elements of Russia’s Arctic strategy: a major trade route (the Northern Sea Route); an up-and-coming “national champion” (the liquid natural gas company Novatek); and the emerging field of Arctic and Siberian cryptocurrency mining and blockchain integration. All three of these areas reveal something different and unique about Russia’s ambitious Arctic grand strategy, and required slightly different methodological approaches. 

 

PRESENTED BY
PURM - Penn Undergraduate Research Mentoring Program
College of Arts & Sciences 2023
Advised By
Rudra Sil
Professor of Political Science and Director of Graduate Studies
Join Josh for a virtual discussion
PRESENTED BY
PURM - Penn Undergraduate Research Mentoring Program
College of Arts & Sciences 2023
Advised By
Rudra Sil
Professor of Political Science and Director of Graduate Studies

Comments

It's great to hear again about your project in more detail. I'm curious about what exactly makes freedom more appealing than funding to the private actors and corporations you talk about. Does government funding come with strings that would restrict their future profits, or is it more a matter of them seeking autonomy for political or ideological reasons? Or something else altogether? Also, great title!!

It's great to hear again about your project in more detail. I'm curious about what exactly makes freedom more appealing than funding to the private actors and corporations you talk about. Does government funding come with strings that would restrict their future profits, or is it more a matter of them seeking autonomy for political or ideological reasons? Or something else altogether? Also, great title!!

It's great to hear again about your project in more detail. I'm curious about what exactly makes freedom more appealing than funding to the private actors and corporations you talk about. Does government funding come with strings that would restrict their future profits, or is it more a matter of them seeking autonomy for political or ideological reasons? Or something else altogether? Also, great title!!

It's great to hear again about your project in more detail. I'm curious about what exactly makes freedom more appealing than funding to the private actors and corporations you talk about. Does government funding come with strings that would restrict their future profits, or is it more a matter of them seeking autonomy for political or ideological reasons? Or something else altogether? Also, great title!!