Arctic. Putin has urged nations bordering the Arctic
to reach agreement on exploration of the mineral re-
sources (Reuters 2010; RT 2010). This development
highlights the security implications of establishing
and protecting key natural resource rights in the Arc-
tic. For Russia, it raises a more direct competition for
resources in the region, in the context of China’s 1.3
billion population compared to Russia’s 142 million.
Implications for the United States and Russia: Na-
tional and Global Security
The proposition of environmental security analy-
sis is that survival, and therefore government legiti-
macy, requires that states protect citizens and provide
for their security, and that environmental conditions
that sustain resource availability are a fundamental
component of this security.
From an environmental security perspective, both
the United States and Russia face formidable challeng-
es. There are substantial near term costs, both social
and economic, to adopting more sustainable policies.
Governments and political leaders—in both the Unit-
ed States and Russia—are not likely to make signifi-
cant commitments if not pressed to do so by the public
or power elites. In contrast to Russia, the U.S. public
supports environmental protection, and many power
elites also support, or at least do not oppose, environ-
mental standards. The United States has a stronger
legal system and violators are more likely to be held
accountable; requirements to protect public health are
better established as norms; some companies are able
to leverage environmental requirements for market
advantage or new products; and NGOs concerned
with environmental issues are firmly established, bet-