New Cold War brewing in the Arctic
Jeanne:
August 12th, 2007
The Arctic is one of the most inhospitable regions of the world. However, it is rich in natural resources, and with supplies of fossil fuels dwindling, a number of countries have sought to take possession of the territory in the hope that they will be able to lay claim to its vast fuel deposits.
A week ago, Russian navel crews set about mapping part of the region, which they argue belongs to their country. According to the Russians, this is because the disputed area forms part of the Russian continental shelf. In a controversial move, they placed a Russian flag over part of the disputed Arctic territory. However, Russia is not the only country to have staked an ownership claim over this cold, barren wasteland. Just a few days ago, the Canadian Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, embarked on a three-day visit to the Arctic. Not surprisingly, he has been highly critical of Russia’s activities in the region:
“Canada has taken its sovereignty too lightly for too long. This government has put a big emphasis on reinforcing and strengthening our sovereignty in the Arctic.”
However, ownership of the Arctic Ocean and her surrounding icy territories is anything but clear-cut. At the moment, jurisdiction over the Arctic seabed is monitored by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. It is likely that ownership claims will have to be resolved through further scientific analysis of the seabed – what Russian scientists claim to have been doing during the recent incident. Unusually, the Russians have also received support some individuals within the Canadian scientific and intellectual community. Michael Byers, a professor at the University of British Colombia has commented on the matter, stating:
“The Russians are fully committed, at a political and scientific level, to filing a comprehensive scientific claim, with the United Nations. They’re perfectly entitled to do so, in fact I think we should celebrate that they’re working within the framework of international law. Politicians in Russia or Canada can never lose domestically by standing up for sovereignty in the Arctic. But underlying all of the rhetoric is the very important fact that all of the Arctic countries are working within a legal framework.”
With yesterday’s announcement from Denmark that she too would be sending an expedition to the region, matters are likely to remain quite frosty on the Arctic front for some time to come.