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Thursday, August 23, 2007
-2:54 AM
International
The Arctic
Drawing lines in melting ice
With the recent discovery of the natural resources the frigid ice caps seclude, no fewer than five countries have each staked their claim to the frozen extremities of the North Pole. Russia, America and Canada are the major players in the new peacetime international contention - and others are set to join the fray.
With all the contending countries being members of the United Nations, there will undoubtedly be a 'peaceful resolution' to the current issue. More like than not, the General Assembly will agree to divide up the Arctic into neat pieces before the velvet glove is removed and the iron fist revealed. Yet, it seems an unsatisfactory resolution to an uncomfortable issue, and as tempers and resources run short, it is improbable that these countries will be content with their share of the pie for long.
If the glare of worldwide drama seems too large to comprehend, envision these countries as individuals rather than superpower entities, and one finds with surprise that the current situation reflects incidents that occur in everyday life. It is almost as if the respectable, dignified heads of state have been reduced to spoilt, purile juveniles that essentially want a new toy all to themselves. When it dawns upon them that none of them can have it all to themselves, they go crying to a higher 'authority' to put muscle behind their complaints. Indeed, this incident reveals much about how simple and selfish the human psyche can be (particularly in the face of great potential benefit) and the great danger it poses when translated to international politics that have untold repercussions on billions of people.
For now, however, the disputes of the Arctic Circle are far from growing too hot. Grand and impressive as they may sound, military bases and mining stations are far from being constructed. A decade could easily pass before all the parties involved are finally appeased, bi-lateral talks could last for years more. Even in the recent expeditions, the competing countries have reluctantly agreed to work with each other; the recent Danish expedition was aboard a Swedish vessel, whose path was in turn paved by a Russian icebreaker.
Still, all involved would do well to tread carefully - for as the world's limelight stokes up a flame in the Arctic, the ice grows thinner by the day.
