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I wanted to write a little bit about the issue of Arctic sovereignty or, to put it another way, the question of who owns the North Pole. There are currently a number of nations who lay claim to large portions of the Arctic but these claims are contested and it is not clear under international law whether or not they are valid. In 1925 Canada officially laid claim to all territory, whether land or water, that lays between 60 degrees West longitude and 141 degrees West longitude and that extends northwards from the Canadian coastline to the North Pole. Similar claims have been made by the USA, Norway and the Soviet Union that lay claim to large swaths of Arctic territory. Denmark also has interests at stake as they have sovereignty over Greenland and could base claims on Arctic territory on those grounds.
This area of international law is controversial. The most widely recognized authority on the ability of nation states to lay claim to areas of the ocean is the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. It declares that, in most cases, countries can only extend their legal authority out to a maximum distance of 200 nautical miles from their coast. However, it didn't rule out the possibility that countries could, in exceptional circumstances, extend their authority beyond this limit but it required that, if a country wished to do this, they would have to make their case within 10 years of ratifying the Convention. As a consequence many countries who have eyes on Arctic sovereignty have delayed their ratification of the Convention so as to not close off the possibility of laying claim to the North Pole. Canada only ratified the treaty in 2003, Denmark in 2004 and the USA still hasn't ratified it.
Why does it matter who has control over the Arctic anyways? Well, for a long period of time most people considered that it didn't really matter too much and that's why there wasn't too much conflict regarding the issue. Countries had competing claims but, since the Arctic was difficult to travel in and get at, they agreed to disagree. What's the point of fighting over territory that you can't exploit anyways?
Now it's starting to matter though because global climate change is making the Arctic more easily accessible. The ice is melting and the sea is opening up. Areas of the Arctic Ocean that once were covered by impenetrable year round ice are either now clear of the ice for part of the year or, at the least, are covered by much thinner ice. This creates lots of economic opportunities for those that are willing to seize upon them.
Beneath the waters of the Arctic it is speculated that the are large deposits of various natural resources, including petroleum which, in today's world, is of ever increasing value. Additionally, since it is now possible for more and more ships to navigate through the Arctic for longer and longer periods of the year people are starting to take notice of the Northwest Passage. This is a network of straits and channels through Canada's Arctic islands that can be taken as an alternative route by transport vessels wishing to travel from Europe to Asia or vice versa. Transport companies are excited by this prospect because it could be quicker and more cost effective than passing through the Panama Canal.
Now, as the Arctic is starting to look financially lucrative, countries are renewing their efforts to lay claim to it. The USA has sent several commercial vessels through the Northwest Passage, despite complaints by Canada that they were travelling through Canadian territory without permission, and also has reportedly been sending US submarines into Arctic waters on patrols, without requesting Canadian permission or notifying the Canadian government. In August 2007 a Russian submarine travelled to the North Pole, took water and soil samples and then planted a Russian flag on the seabed. As well, on the tiny speck of land known as Hans Island, which lays midway between Greenland (controlled by Denmark) and Ellesmere Island (controlled by Canada), the Canadians and the Danish have landed military personnel on the island and raised their flags in symbolic displays of ownership.
Canada is attempting to back up its claims to the Arctic through increased military presence in the region. Since the 1940's the Canadian Forces have had a program known as the Canadian Rangers. This is a force of 4000 or so military reservists, mostly Inuit from northern Canada, who conduct patrols through the Arctic to ensure Canadian sovereignty. Now Canada plans to increase this force to 5000 and to supply them with new and improved military equipment. In addition, Canada has announced plans to build an Arctic Training Centre at Resolute Bay to train Canadian troops in Arctic operations and also a deep water port for Canadian naval forces at the entrance to the Northwest Passage. Finally, Canada is in the process of acquiring six to eight new armed patrol vessels for the Canadian navy that would have hulls strengthened to resist Arctic ice (although they would not be full icebreakers and therefore would not be able to break through the Arctic ice when it is at its thickest in winter).
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Posted by hairytoad2005 on 2008-04-04 06:49:29 | Rating: | Views: 86
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As you said - Econommic Opportunites. If there are recourses below the ice, then who dares wins, or who has the most clout perhaps when it comes to sitting around a table making bargains.
The world is a changing place and I think will become moreso as climate change does become more apparent to disbelievers. Money could be better spent when it comes down to Nations asserting their rights, but thats in the future. It is the only Earth we've got so far. If you havn't seen it go google zeitgeist, an insight on powerplay if nothing else.
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Posted by slothville
on 2008-04-04 07:24:20
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It's all about "Hey, what does HE see in that? What are they fighting over over there? I want a piece of that too! It's mine; it's mine! I called it first!" (or something like the land-claiming scene in Far and Away)
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Posted by brainstormer
on 2008-04-05 17:59:24
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