The growing strategic importance of the Arctic

As global competition intensifies in the Arctic, Greenland has reemerged as a strategic focal point for the United States and its allies. From the sidelines 2026 US-Canada Summit, hosted by Eurasia Group and RBC in Toronto, Tony Maciulis sits down with Thomas Dans, chairman of the US Arctic Research Commission, to discuss why the Arctic is increasingly central to national security, energy development, critical minerals, and geopolitical competition.

Dans explains how Russia and China are expanding their presence in the region, why Arctic infrastructure and communications remain major challenges, and how Greenland fits into broader US strategic interests. He also discusses the importance of cooperation with Canada, the future of Arctic development in Alaska, and why policymakers are paying renewed attention to the High North.

As climate change, technology, and great-power rivalry reshape the region, Dans argues that the Arctic will play an increasingly important role in the future of North American security and prosperity.