Lost in the hubbub of Joe BIden’s ‘reset’ speech was a relatively active past couple of days concerning Russian, American, and European geopolitics in the Arctic. At the end of January, NATO officials met in Iceland, where they discussed the imminent threats posed by the race to exploit the region’s suddenly available resources.
“I would be the last one to expect military conflict — but there will be a military presence,” said NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer. “It should be a military presence that is not overdone, and there is a need for political cooperation and economic cooperation.”
As Russia tests NATO’s post-Bush viability, the arctic is sure to be a sticking point.
Recently, famed Russian polar scientist Artur Chilingarov announced his country’s plan to modernize its icebreaker fleetin an attempt to get a leg up on the competition. And seeminglyundeterred by the fact that Norway claims exclusive rights to theisland of Spitsbergen, a Russian team will leave Saturday to scout alocation there for a potential resource center for 500 scientists.
“The Arctic has a special geopolitical importance forRussia,” Chilingarov said at a news conference. “We aren’t going towage a new Cold War in the Arctic,” he added.
In 2007, Russia planted a titanium flag on the sea floor underthe North Pole, ostensibly claiming an area the size of France that could hold ten billion tons of oil-equivalent, as well as gold,nickel and diamonds.
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The commentary of Ethan S. Burger is full of wisdom !NATO comes as an unexpected guest in an aerea where cooperation works on each issues : Environement , maritime security , fishing ,……………throught multilateral ( The Arctic council ) , regional ( Barents sea ) an billateral cooperationsThe warmongers are western NATO powers which wants to deny Russia its rightover a region where Russians ( Pomors ) lives for more than a millenium.As far i know each nation has the right to make aerial patrols on neutral waters ? No ?Let’look : United States haven’t ratified UNCLOS and want others nations follow their agenda , Norway doesn’t want to respect the treaty of 1921 on Spitzberg ,………….Who is the ” bad guy ” or who are the ” bad guys ” in the arctic ?Another point that is always forbidden , is that the ” Nord-Stream” issue is also an arctic issue as the gas is to come from Shtokman .Germany and Italy ( ENI , Mr Amsterdam will have an heart attack ! ) are heavily investing in the Russian arctic like in the Yamal Peninsula .Another point which will be interresting to see is how Canada which claims rights on the North-West passage will cooperate inside Nato with the Us which wants to internationalize it ?How Germany and Italy which are interested in Rusian Arctic oil and gas ( Shtokman , Yamal ) will cooperate with the Us ?How Norway wich wants to wage a bellicose policy with Russia will pretend StatOilHydro investing in Russian arctic fields ?Canada expects Shtokman gas for its terminal of Rabaska and Canadian mining companies are investing in the Kola peninsula …………It’s a pity that Boris Yefimov died a few monthes ago !He could make a charge on this arctic issu as he did in 1947 with the militarization of Thule in Greenland by Eisenhower …………