Kathryn C. Lavelle, the Ellen and Dixon Long Professor in World Affairs, authored a paper titled “Regime, Climate, and Region in Transition: Russian Participation in the Arctic Council,” which was published by the journal Problems of Post Communism.
The Arctic Council (AC) was created with multiple competing agendas. Russia played a crucial role in its founding and Lavelle argued the country has been an indispensable member ever since. She considered the evolution of Russian participation in order to investigate the juncture of regime type, regional international organization and environmental protection. Lavelle explored the question: How has Russia contributed to climate change policies through the AC’s Sustainable Development Working Group? She argued issues connected to environmental protection and regional cooperation can be used by democratic and non-democratic states in order to leverage influence beyond the region itself and to advance broad geostrategic concerns.