Arctic Risks Loom Large as Blinken Tours NATO's North

As polar ice melts, Russia, already a major Arctic power, wants to make the region its own. China has ambitions for a "Polar Silk Road." And NATO is embracing Finland — and Sweden too, Washington hopes — giving the alliance new reach in the Far North. Climate change is accelerating and amplifying competition in the Arctic as never before, opening the region to greater commercial and strategic jostling just at a moment when Russia, China and the West are all seeking to expand their military presence there. The rising importance of the region is underscored by the travels of Antony…