States move between securing their national sovereignty and cooperation among neighbors
No other region of the world can be as important a geopolitical game changer as the Arctic. The melting ice opens up major logistical prospects and enhances the value of the territories north of the Arctic Circle because of the access they provide to untapped natural resources. Many issues are being agreed upon by the eight members of the Arctic committee , although of these it is Russia, Canada and the United States that are seeking to exert the most influence in the region. Let us examine the strategy being pursued in the Arctic by these three countries.
March 6, 2018
article / Martín Biera Muriel
The Arctic Circle comprises 6% of the Earth's total surface area, covering 21 million square kilometers. As temperatures rise and the effects of global warming worsen, the Arctic ice cap is shrinking, revealing an area rich in raw materials and natural resources, and increasing its strategic importance for the maritime connection between Europe and Asia. This has made the Arctic a region of great geopolitical importance in the International Relations of the 21st century.
Agencies from various countries, such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration or the National Snow & Ice Data Center of the United States, as well as international organizations and companies of different nationalities, emphasize that the ice cover on the Arctic shelf has been considerably reduced due to the consequences of climate change and rising temperatures. This allows States with sovereignty over these waters and islands easy access to the region, offering an opportunity for oil, natural gas, minerals, fishing, shipping and tourism.
As early as 2008, the US Geological Survey estimated that the Arctic contained approximately 240 billion barrels of oil and natural gas, a figure that constitutes about 10% of the world's existing resources; this does not take into account the amount of resources that, for practical reasons, have not yet been discovered. In total, it is estimated that the undiscovered resources would comprise 16% of the world's oil reserves, 30% of the gas reserves and 26% of the natural gas reserves; about 84% of these resources are offshore. Estimates speak of the possible existence in the Arctic subsoil of 10 trillion barrels of oil and 1.55 quadrillion cubic meters of natural gas.
The Arctic committee
The Arctic committee , established in 1996, is a high-level intergovernmental forum for policy discussions on issues common to the governments of the Arctic states and their inhabitants. It is the only circumpolar forum for policy discussions on Arctic issues. All Arctic states are members, with the active participation of their indigenous peoples. It has eight members: Iceland, Denmark, Canada, the United States, Russia, Sweden, Norway and Finland. It is divided into different work groups and task forces, each of which has its own fields of action and functions. Thus, there is the Artic Contaminants Action Program (ACAP), whose function is to promote mechanisms for the States to reduce pollutant emissions, or the Emergency Prevention, Preparedness and Response Working Group (EPPR), which seeks to protect the environment from possible accidental releases of pollutants. Although their presence is very limited, it should be noted that on numerous occasions the different task forces and work groups have managed to achieve the objectives they had planned, such as, for example, a reduction in CO2 emissions.
Of the eight countries that are part of the Arctic committee , Canada, the United States and Russia have the most influence in the region. What strategies are each of them pursuing?
Canada: more means for patrolling the waters
For Canada, the Arctic is not only fundamental to its national identity, but represents a potential for the country's future, especially in subject of geopolitics. The Canadian government sees the Arctic as an area of opportunities and challenges, which it groups into four areas: exercising its sovereignty, promote economic and social development , protecting the environment and improving its governance in the northern regions. These four pillars of Canada's Arctic policy are embodied in multiple aspects: resolving territorial disputes, maintaining sovereignty and security in the Arctic territory, promote conditions for sustainable development , and addressing the governance of emerging issues such as public safety or pollution, among others.
Since 2007, Canada has strengthened its defense initiatives to ensure sovereignty in its Arctic territory. That year it announced measures to increase its capabilities in the area, which have included the launch of the RADARSAT-2 satellite to monitor the Arctic and the deployment of 1,500 troops to patrol its waters. For the latter function, icebreakers and maritime patrols have been incorporated. The government also announced a greater investment in the Canadian Rangers to improve their presence in the area and to work jointly with the North American Aerospace Defense Command to monitor the airspace of northern Canada.
United States: Pentagon establishes its Arctic Strategy
U.S. activity in the Arctic, a region to which it has belonged since the purchase of Alaska, encompasses a broad spectrum of activities, from resource extraction and trade to science and national defense operations. The U.S. Defense department s Arctic strategy is to maintain a secure and stable region, where U.S. interests are safeguarded and its sovereignty protected, and where nations work together to address challenges, including climate change. The U.S. strategy has two objectives:
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Guarantee and support security and promote defense cooperation.
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Prepare for a wide range of challenges and contingencies.
In addition, the department Defense established in a document entitled Arctic Strategy that these objectives must be achieved with innovative criteria, with a low budget and through multilateral exercises with other countries, such as the Search and Rescue Exercise. To achieve these goals, the department of Defense established a series of strategies: exercise sovereignty in its territory, involve public and private sector entities to improve domain awareness in the Arctic, partner with other Departments, agencies and nations to support human and environmental security, etc. The department Defense, in partnership with the North American Aerospace Defense Command, developed an analysis and reporting program to monitor regional activity and anticipate future trends so that future investments can sustain human activity in the region over time.
Russia: greater coastline, greater access to resources
Russia is the polar state with the longest coastline, which gives it much greater access to certain resources, such as oil, than other countries, including Canada, which is the second polar state with the longest coastline. In recent months Russia has experienced an increase in the production of natural resources in the Arctic, especially hydrocarbons. It should be noted that the international sanctions due to the Crimean crisis have challenge Russian production, which is why the Arctic is a core topic for its development. Russian policy in the North Pole is based on two levels, military and defense, with the following objectives:
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Use the resources in the region, mainly oil and gas, to promote Russia's economic development .
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Maintain the Arctic as a zone of peace and cooperation.
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Preserving ecology in the Arctic.
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That the northern route be recognized as a transportation route.
On the military level, the need to maintain troops in case of attack in the region continues. For this reason, in recent years Russia has developed radar systems to control its domains, and has also encouraged the construction of small military instructions, ports and airfields to protect its territory. It is worth noting that the port city of Severomorsk is home to the headquarters of the North Sea Fleet, one of the world's largest submarine fleets and the world's only nuclear Wayside Cross , named Peter the Great.
Notwithstanding this emphasis on military and defense issues, Russia also proposes the option of reaching agreements with other Arctic states, regardless of their size, to enhance cooperation.
Environment, economic development , defense
The elaboration of specific strategies for the Arctic by the countries present in the region shows that the area is a relevant scenario for geopolitics and international relations in the 21st century. The States involved move on two levels: cooperation with their neighbors, in matters such as environmental protection and commitment to sustainable economic development , and the defense of their own interests, especially in ensuring sovereignty over their Arctic territories and preserving the rights that these may grant them in a future exploitation of the shared area .
If we look at the theories of international relations, the Arctic states play on the realist plane of taking positions with respect to others, thinking of any future competition, and at the same time on the liberal plane of willingness to cooperate and jointly solve problems.
