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Conflict over Arctic Borders Remains a Possibility
Peter Cassata | September 11, 2008A high-ranking U.S. Coast Guard officer has stressed the potential for conflict if competing Arctic border claims are not resolved before polar ice caps melt further, the BBC reported late Wednesday. The U.S., Russia, Canada, and Norway are all engaged in territorial disputes, and as sea ice continues to recede at record levels, previously impossible resource extraction may become a reality.
Coast Guard training exercises to secure energy infrastructure have already begun, and more military bases are in the planning stages. Also, China has sent a research vessel close to the North Pole, and Russia maintains a fleet of ice-breaker ships. The officer urged for political resolution as increasingly large areas of ocean become available to boat traffic each year.
