The Arctic is emerging as a critical theater in great-power competition, with Russia leveraging its military and geographic advantages to assert dominance. The narrative presented here is compelling: climate change is unlocking economic and strategic opportunities, and Russia is moving aggressively to exploit them, while the West scrambles to catch up. The strongest version of this argument highlights Russia's tangible actions—reactivating Cold War-era bases, militarizing icebreakers, and violat...