Posted on 10/02/2009 12:17:31 PM PDT by Schnucki
Competition for resources in the Arctic Circle could provoke conflict between Russia and Nato, a newly appointed commander at the alliance warned today.
Russia has recently been aggressive in its pursuit of claims to parts of the regions and in February sent a submarine to the floor of the sea in order to symbolically plant a flag. In March Russia announced plans to establish military bases along its northern coastline.
Admiral James Stavridis said that military activity and trade routes would also both be potential sources of competition around the polar cap.
Speaking at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) in London on Nato’s future direction Admiral Stavridis, Supreme Allied Commander for Europe (SACEUR), predicted that relations with Russia will dominate thinking at the alliance.
He said: “This is something we are starting to spend more time looking at.
“I look at the high north and I think it could either be a zone of conflict, I hope not, a zone of competition, probably.
“It could also be cooperative... and as an alliance we should make this as cooperative as we possibly can.”
His assessment follows warnings from the Nato Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen who said this week that climate change had “potentially huge security implications” for Nato.
The thinning ice cap is opening up a new Northwest Passage trade route while it is estimated that $90 billion barrels of oil previously inaccessible beneath the ice lie in the Arctic Circle.
Canada, Denmark, Norway and The United States, all Nato members, as well as Russia claim overlapping areas of the Polar region.
The admiral added: “There are certainly going to be areas of disagreement between the alliance and Russia, but the issues are so big and so important that a cooperative approach, finding zones of cooperation, will be very
(Excerpt) Read more at timesonline.co.uk ...
Stavridis - wasn’t he a sinister bad guy in one of the
Bond films?
Hmm...conflict with Russia in the Arctic Circle.
What part of the US in in the Arctic Circle?
Alaska
Ice Station Zebra.
Thank goodness for Harper ping.
We should let them use our resources since they are becoming off limits to us.
And made a nice violin.
“There’s one thing that cannot happen on board a submarine by accident... is both ends of a torpedo tube open to the sea at the same time”. Great movie.
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