The 11.6. discussion’s guest was Dr. Eunjeong Cho, a researcher at the Institute of National Security Strategy of the Republic of Korea (INSS). Dr. Cho shared her views on the geopolitical outlook following Russia’s aggression in Ukraine from perspective of Arctic competition between global powers. She primarily focused on topics such as nuclear competition, and Arctic security; however, she also discussed Chinese ambitions for the Arctic region and the importance of cooperation between Asia and Europe in Space projects.
For the last three decades, the world has been under the American-led order. Russia was seen as a fading power or, as Dr. Cho stated, just as the world’s gas station. Russia’s frustration led to the aspiration to ‘make Russia great again‘, which was central discussion point of Dr. Cho’s presentation. Main argument focused on Russia’s ambition to become once again world superpower amidst changing environment in Arctics, due to the climate change and opening new shipping routes.
Dr. Cho emphasized the importance of Russia’s Arctic territories, which are strategic locations for building military bases and gaining access to international trade and natural resources. Dr. Cho also introduced her views on China’s strategy in the area, and she also pointed out Trump’s ambitions concerning Greenland.
An important part of the discussion focused on the question ‘How does West counter Russia that can win both by avoiding the conflict and by forcing it?’. Dr. Cho shared her opinion on the risk of nuclear weapons being used in the potential conflict. She stated, the nuclear weapons are no longer the only ultimate and decisive weapon, and we shouldn’t forget the cyber domain.
She stressed that Korea is also concerned about the relations between Russia and Europe, since the world is inter-connected. The newly elected Korean president acknowledged the importance of the Arctic region for the first time. At the end, she offered her advice on areas of cooperation between Korea and Czechia.