The Southeast Connecticut World Affairs Council (SECWAC) hosts its next meeting Thursday, May 25, at 6 p.m. at the Crozier Hall (Student Center, second floor) at Connecticut College, Mohegan Ave, New London. A reception at 5:30 p.m. will precede the 6 p.m. presentation.
Lieutenant Commander Jeremy McKenzie, United States Coast Guard Academy (USCGA), will give a presentation at 6 p.m. titled, The Bering Strait: Reducing Risk Through International Cooperation and Capability Improvements, about unexpected partnerships and how the U.S. Coast Guard cooperates with Russia in the Arctic. McKenzie is the Public Policy Instructor – Department of Humanities, and Researcher – Center for Arctic Study and Policy, at the USCGA.
Following the presentation, join McKenzie, guests, and fellow members for a meal at Connecticut College. Tickets for the meal are $35/person.
A reservation is required to attend the dinner; call 860-912-5718 or email [email protected] to make your reservation (vegetarian option available if reserved in advance). Checks payable to SECWAC (or credit card payment) are accepted before the meeting by Courtney Assad.
Serving as the sole connection between the Pacific and Arctic Oceans, the Bering Strait is seeing increased maritime activity and risk due to environmental changes that are opening the Arctic. The increased activity in the Bering Strait region poses cross-border management challenges that are complicated by diplomatic tension between the U.S. and Russia. McKenzie will explore these management challenges through the following questions:
- How effectively are international and bilateral agreements governing maritime activity in the Bering Strait region being implemented at the “street level” by responsible agencies on either side of the border?
- Are there gaps in existing agreements that prevent effective bilateral collaboration?
The recommendations from research (interviews and other data) include decoupling the Arctic from other aspects of the U.S. and Russian bilateral relationship, the immediate resumption of bilateral oil spill and search, and search and rescue (SAR) exercises, and the establishment of a joint maritime domain awareness center (MDAC) to maintain situational awareness and implement maritime traffic control measures.
Join SECWAC on June 6 for their final meeting of the season, “A Turbulent China Takes on the World,” with author and The Daily Beast columnist Gordon G. Chang. This presentation will be held at Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School in Old Lyme.
Learn more about SECWAC’s 2017 season programs at secwac.org