Who Owns the Arctic?

Russian maps suggest Soviet subs cruised Canadian Arctic

Bob Weber, The Canadian Press, December 6, 2011

The old Soviet Union may have been just as familiar with Canada’s Arctic waters as Canadians.

Sections of Cold-War-era nautical charts obtained by The Canadian Press suggest that Russian mariners have for decades possessed detailed and accurate knowledge of crucial internal waterways such as the Northwest Passage.

Those charts, which may offer the first documentary proof of the widely held belief that Soviet nuclear submarines routinely patrolled the Canadian Arctic during the Cold War, are still in use by Russian vessels. In some places, they are preferred to current Canadian charts.

New jets could trigger 'Arctic arms race'

Expert concerned over F-35 purchase

JULIET O'NEILL, POSTMEDIA NEWS, OCTOBER 29, 2010

A government purchase of F-35 fighter jets could cause "angst in Russia" and trigger an Arctic arms race, Arctic sovereignty expert Michael Byers said Thursday.

"I don't want my country to be the country that starts an Arctic arms race," Byers said as debate over the government's plan to spend $16 billion on 65 of the F-35s raged on several fronts on Parliament Hill.

Russian bombers a make-believe threat

Defence Minister Peter MacKay, centre, walks in front of an F-35 fighter at the news conference where the government announced plans to buy 65 of the jets in one of the biggest arms deals in the nation's history.

CHRIS WATTIE/REUTERS

Michael Byers, Toronto Star, August 30, 2010

Don Quixote is famous for attacking windmills that he imagines are giants. Stephen Harper and Peter MacKay have been tilting at make-believe enemies too, in the form of Russian planes in international airspace.

Last Wednesday, Harper’s communications director sent an email to journalists informing them that a pair of Tupolev TU-95 bombers had been intercepted by Canadian CF-18s some 30 nautical miles (56 kilometres) from our Arctic coastline.

“Thanks to the rapid response of the Canadian Forces,” Dimitri Soudas wrote, “at no time did the Russian aircraft enter sovereign Canadian airspace.”

Soudas was right about Canada’s airspace, which extends just 12 nautical miles (22 kilometres) from shore. But he was wrong to suggest that the Russian bombers were headed there.

His efforts at sensationalism were quickly short-circuited by a spokesman for the North American Aerospace Defense Command. “Both Russia and NORAD routinely exercise their capability to operate in the North,” Lt. Desmond James explained. “These exercises are important to both NORAD and Russia and are not cause for alarm.”

A Heads-Up on Russia's Role in Arctic

John Vinocur, New York Times, December 7, 2009

It doesn’t seem like anyone took much notice, but last week marked the 50th anniversary of an exemplary international success — the signing of the Antarctic Treaty that turned the global Deep South into a demilitarized zone “forever to be used exclusively for peaceful purposes.”

Russia and Canada: Partners in the North?

Recognizing each other's sovereignty claims brings mutual benefits

MOSCOW -- Michael Byers, Globe and Mail, December 21, 2009

Amap produced by Natural Resources Canada has pride of place in Arctic ambassador Anton Vasiliev's office, in the Stalinist-era skyscraper housing the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Centred on the geographic North Pole, the map shows how Russia and Canada dominate the Arctic region. Between them, the two largest countries on Earth account for three-quarters of the Arctic Ocean's coastline.

Russia and NATO look to Arctic co-operation

Gerrard Cowan, Jane's Defence Weekly, April 3, 2009

Russia's plan to create an Arctic Group of Forces is not a step towards military conflict in the High North and could actually help foster increased co-operation in the region, Norwegian State Secretary for Defence Espen Barth Eide has told Jane's .

The plan to create the force was announced on 27 March. It would be readily deployable across the vast region and maintain interoperability with the general Russian armed forces, border guard and coast guard. Special ammunition, weaponry and transport would be designed for the 'freezing temperature' task force.

Moscow has insisted that it has no intention of militarising the Arctic, saying its goal is to make the area "a zone of peace and co-operation". This view was endorsed by Barth Eide, who said Norway was "not concerned". He pointed to the increasing military investment of other Arctic countries, including Norway, and said this was "logical", given the potential for oil and gas reserves and dramatically shortened transport routes.

"I don't think an increased military presence needs to increase tensions if the interested parties are informed. Indeed, it can have the opposite effect," he said. "During the Cold War, for example, good intelligence was important to promote peace, as it could tell you what another country was not doing as well as what it was doing."

For the original text, see: http://www.janes.com/news/defence/jdw/jdw090403_1_n.shtml

Shake loose the cold war

Europe, North America and we in Russia need a new security treaty. So this is our proposal

Sergey Lavrov, Russian Foreign Minister, The Guardian, January 30, 2009

As in the rest of the world, Russia has watched with great interest the first few days of the Barack Obama presidency. It is far too early, of course, to take any settled view of what the change at the White House might mean for the world.

What is without doubt is the opportunity for a much more multilateral approach to help ease tensions and overcome problems. At the heart of any such approach must be an agreement to put in place effective processes and institutions to meet the security and political concerns of all countries. This will require them to look beyond their history and narrow national interests.

For the full text, see: Obama-Russia security treaty

NATO chief cautions against Arctic divisions

Randy Boswell, Canwest News Service, January 29, 2009

The head of NATO has cautioned the alliance's Arctic nations - including Canada and the U.S. - to stay united despite the growing potential for conflicts among NATO members over energy resources and shipping rights in the increasingly open waters surrounding the North Pole. ...

For the full text, see: NATO chief cautions against Arctic divisions

NATO shows enhanced interest in Arctic

BarentsObserver.com , January 16, 2009

“Important changes are under way in the High North which will have a broad impact on international affairs”, NATO says in a press release. In late January, the alliance will hold a meeting on its Arctic challenges in Reikjavik, Iceland.

“The economic interests are reflected in a growing global awareness in the region, competing claims by relevant stakeholders, and resumed military presence in the area. As it is a region of enduring strategic importance for NATO and allied security, developments in the High North require careful and ongoing examination”, the press release continues.

The Russian newspaper Rossiiskaya Gazeta meanwhile describes the enhanced NATO focus on the region as a sign of a colder political climate in the Arctic and believes the Arctic eventually will become the scene for long-term military adventures.

“[…] It is clear that without the military component, the foreign policy strategy of the alliance will not succeed”, journalist Yevgenii Shestakov writes for the newspaper. “If it does not happen now, it will definitely happen in the near future”, he adds.

Norway, which has the High North on top of both its domestic and foreign policy agenda, has long advocated a stronger NATO presence in the region. As BarentsObserver reported, Norwegian Defence Minister in her recent speech to the Oslo Military Society stressed Norway’s intent to engage NATO in the High North, and to a certain extent admitted that the alliance now is persuaded to look towards the region.