New Ways to Respond to Climate Change in the Arctic. The impact of climate change in the Arctic has drawn considerable global attention. As numerous scientific studies have shown, climate in the region is an indicator for climate change worldwide. Moreover, climate change in the Arctic has been recognized for some time. Average temperature has risen twice as fast in the Arctic as in the rest of the world. Of particular interest is the rapidly receding and thinning Arctic Ocean sea ice, which demonstrates how quickly climate change progresses-the year 2012 marked the lowest summer sea ice since satellite measurements began in 1979. The rise in temperature will have overwhelming repercussions for the region's ecosystems and render its economic potential more accessible. Sea ice retreat and other changes have brought about opportunities for economic development and, in turn, have prompted numerous studies on how the region's oil and other natural resources could be exploited, its tourism potential increased, and its navigational waterways utilized. This Insight will first briefly review the work of the Arctic Council and examine how this inter-governmental forum has tried to respond to climate change challenges in the region by producing scientific assessments and soft law guidance. Scientific assessments have changed the way the region is perceived, from the frozen desert of the past to the rapidly transforming space of today. This altered perspective has put pressure on the Council to transform from a decision-shaping to decision-making body. This is evidenced by the Council's current push for legally binding agreements between the eight Arctic states: Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, the Russian Federation, and the United States. Finally, a few conclusions are provided in terms of what role international law could and should play in responding to climate change in the Arctic. American Society of International Law

It's Time for Movement on Arctic Telecoms. [Editorial] You know how bad it can get. It's the government employer who blocks websites to save bandwidth. It's the internet link that dies in the middle of an email download. Or maybe it's the cell phone - if you're lucky enough to even get cell service - that never works when you need it the most. No regular person who reads this - especially any Arctic resident reading this on the internet - can deny that a top-to-bottom overhaul of northern Canada's rickety telecommunications system is long overdue. The companies who sell these services, and now, even governments, know what you know about how bad it can get. Nunatsiaq Online

Up North. [Blog] Just back from Sweden and Finland -- not NATO allies, but certainly premier partners both.  I visited both in my hat as Commander of US European Command. In both nations, I spent time discussing our work together in Afghanistan and Kosovo, as well as potential operations with the NATO response force for training and exercises in the time ahead. Of note, I was also at the Northern European Chiefs of Defense meeting in Helsinki, Finland -- CHODs or senior reps from Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, and Norway were all present. We discussed four topics: pooling and sharing resources to support the NATO framework; air policing; Nordic-Baltic military coordination; and evolving Arctic concerns. United States European Command

Putin Urges Shift in Response to Shale Gas. Russian President Vladimir Putin urged national-gas giant Gazprom to retune its strategy to adapt to the growing threat from shale gas, marking a shift in Russia's view of how the new resource is shaking up competition the global gas market. Mr. Putin, who for years followed Gazprom's line that shale gas poses no threat to the company's exports, said that "politicians, experts and businessmen are talking about shale revolution," noting that its development, together with growing trade in liquefied gas is reshaping the market. "We must take in account the current developments and have a clear view how the situation will develop not only in the next two to three years, but through the next decade," he said. Wall Street Journal