The Foreign Service Journal, October 2015

12 OCTOBER 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL TALKING POINTS Arctic: Geopolitics of Climate Change I n August, Russia’s resubmission of a bid to the United Nations on 1.2 mil- lion square kilometers of Arctic territory triggered press speculation that the Arctic is set to become the next geopolitical flashpoint in a race for unclaimed, and newly accessible, land and resources. As a resource repository, the Arctic is becoming more attractive than ever; climate change has thinned thick areas of ice, and improved technol- ogy has allowed boats to venture ever farther into the Arctic zone. Russia and other Arctic nations have expanded northern military capabilities, while remaining in their own borders. Norway, Canada and Denmark have submitted similar bids, each of which will be decided by UN sci- entists who will examine each country’s findings regarding the extent of their territorial shelves. However, most Arctic security experts see little cause for concern over potential conflicts and are instead encouraged by several recent cooperative steps taken by the Arctic nations: Canada, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Iceland, Sweden, Rus- sia and the United States. In May 2015, the United States and Russia, backed by Denmark, Canada and Norway, signed a new pact on commer- cial fishing in Oslo. It was originally to be signed in early 2014, but tensions over Russia’s actions in Ukraine prevented this. The agreement will regulate fishing in areas near the North Pole which, until very recently, were entirely covered by ice, prohibiting activity in international waters beyond the exclusive economic zones of the five signatories. This pact builds on past cooperative frameworks, one of the most significant being the 2008 Ilulissat Declaration, in which signatories reconfirmed their belief that international law governs actions in the Arctic and committed to regional cooperation. The International Maritime Orga- nization, of which the United States is a member, has drawn up a mandatory Polar Code that will regulate shipping in polar areas beginning January 2017. —Shannon Mizzi, Editorial Intern Citizenship for Sale? C ongress is considering reform of the EB-5 “immigrant investor program,” which is up for renewal this year after being transitioned from a pilot to an offi- cial program by President Barack Obama in 2012. Some legislators argue that the pro- gram should be expanded, as a domestic job creation strategy. Others feel that the program is unfair and essentially allows wealthy foreign investors to buy their way into eventual citizenship over poorer applicants. To obtain an EB-5 visa, a citizen of a foreign country must invest a minimum of $1 million in a new commercial enter- prise and create or preserve at least 10 American jobs within two years of admis- sion to the United States as a conditional permanent resident. Alternatively, they may invest $500,000 in a high-unemploy- ment or rural area. Administered by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, part of the Depart- ment of Homeland Security, the program began in 1990 but was little used until recently. In 2005, only 346 visas were issued. By 2011, that figure had jumped to 3,340; and 2014 saw 10,692 visas, the limit, issued. In 2014, 85 percent of the visas went to Chinese investors. According to the Washington Post , the EB-5 “brought more than $1.5 billion and 31,000 jobs to the U.S. economy in 2013.” Investments are most often made in building hotels, casinos and shopping malls. USCIS estimates that EB-5 has brought in almost $7 billion in invest- ment funds since 1990. The program is well supported in the business world, and Sheldon Adelson, Bill Gates and Warren Buffett wrote a joint op-ed defending it in the New York Times last year. However, critics of the program argue it has become a magnet for domestic scammers looking for foreign investors to fund less-than-legitimate ventures. Many question the validity of the economic and job-creation statistics attributed to the program. Indeed, in 2013 the DHS Inspec- U.S.DEPARTMENTOFSTATE Secretary of State John Kerry addresses the GLACIER meeting (a conference on “Global Leadership in the Arctic: Cooperation, Innovation, Engagement and Resilience”) in Anchorage, Alaska, on Aug. 31. The U.S.-sponsored event brought together foreign ministers, scientists and policymakers to focus attention on climate change and other challenges emerging in the region.