Position of Ambassador-at-Large for Arctic Affairs added to U.S. Government
© RIA Novosti. Natalia Seliverstova

Position of Ambassador-at-Large for Arctic Affairs added to U.S. Government

The U.S. Government has appointed Arctic expert and Alaskan resident Michael Sfraga as Ambassador-at-Large for Arctic Affairs. The decision comes as the Arctic gains prominence in conversations about national security and the environment.

A law to establish an office for Arctic affairs within the Department of State was submitted to the US Senate back in 2021. In August 2022, the White House administration announced the new position.

It is worth noting that it was created by presidential executive order, not by law, and it is not entirely clear whether it will remain in the future.

At present Michael Sfraga is the Chair of the U.S. Arctic Research Commission, to which he was appointed by President Biden in 2021. Sfraga was the founding director of the Polar Institute and concurrently served as Director of the Global Risk and Resilience Program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. He currently serves as the Institute’s Chair and Distinguished Fellow.