Notice Board

The Southern Alberta Council on Public Affairs (SACPA) presents a session with Michael Byers as he discusses the future of Arctic cooperation.

Arctic War or Arctic Peace?

Date: Thursday, January 8, 2015
Time: 12 to 1:30 p.m. (30 minutes each for presentation, lunch and Q & A)
Location: Country Kitchen Catering (Lower level of the Keg) 1715 Mayor Magrath Dr S
Cost: $11 (includes lunch) or $2 (includes coffee/tea at the presentation only)

Russia’s annexation of Crimea has called into question the future of Arctic cooperation. After years of working together on pollution prevention, search and rescue, shipping and fisheries management, people are asking: Can we trust Russia to behave differently in the North than it is behaving in the South?

Michael Byers has just returned from a term as a visiting professor at the University of Novosibirsk, Siberia, Russia. His presentation will address the issue of Arctic sovereignty, peace and security in a time of geopolitical tension and rapidly advancing climate change.

Speaker: Michael Byers

A graduate of Lethbridge Collegiate Institute, Michael Byers holds the Canada Research Chair in Global Politics and International Law at the University of British Columbia. He has been a Fellow of Jesus College, Oxford University, a Professor of Law at Duke University, and a Visiting Professor at the universities of Cape Town, Tel Aviv, Nordland (Norway) and Novosibirsk (Russia).

Michael's work focuses on Arctic security, the law of the sea, and Canada-US-Russia relations. He is a project leader with ArcticNet, a Canadian government-funded consortium of scientists from 30 universities. His most recent book is International Law and the Arctic (Cambridge University Press, 2013). A well-known commentator on national and international news stories, Michael is a regular contributor to the Globe and Mail, National Post and Toronto Star.

Moderator: Graeme Greenlee

For more information on the Southern Alberta Council on Public Affairs, visit the SACPA website.