Geopolitics of the Arctic featuring Michael Young

History Does You

In the Season 2 premiere, we explore the geopolitics of the Arctic. As climate change continues to open up maritime routes across the Arctic, it will be critical for countries to work together to avoid conflict especially as China becomes more involved in the region. The United States faces unique challenges in the region and will need to collaborate with other Arctic nations to ensure peace and mitigate the effects of climate change especially as the region becomes more militarized. We interviewed Michael Young who retired as a Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Department of State in 2019. His most recent tour was as the Foreign Policy Advisor to the Commander of Special Operations Command North in Colorado Springs, with a focus on Arctic security. He earlier served as the Arctic Affairs Officer in the Office of Oceans and Polar Affairs, where he worked for the U.S. Senior Arctic Official. In this role he also served as the U.S. Head of Delegation for the Sustainable Development Working Group on the Arctic Council. He was one of the key architects of the Arctic Council program during the U.S. Chairmanship from 2015-17. Other assignments as a Foreign Service Officer included tours in Kabul, Mexico City, and Toronto. Before joining the Foreign Service, Mike was an officer in the U.S. Navy for 15 years, where he Shipboard tours USS TRUXTUN (CGN-35) and USS CHANDLER (DDG-996). A native of Golden, Colorado, Michael graduated from the Colorado School of Mines with a BSc in Engineering Physics and an MBA from the University of Colorado at Boulder.