Northern Exposures.

• Author: Handley, John
• Position: Heightened tension in the Arctic - Book review

Northern Exposures

By James Kraska, U.S. Naval War College

http://www.the-american-interest.com/article-bd.cfm?piece=810

Reviewed by John Handley, Vice President, American Diplomacy

Though most of the world's governmental officials are well aware of a potential water shortage throughout the Middle East and Africa, Commander Kraska, Levie Professor of Operational Law, calls their attention to a different water problem--an abundance of water from the ever shrinking Polar ice cap that is making the High North more accessible to transit, fishing, and exploration. With estimates that this region contains 13 percent of the world's undiscovered oil and 30 percent of its natural gas, modern technology makes their exploration and extraction not only possible but profitable.

The problem comes down to ownership. Expressed in terms of the 1982 Law of the Sea Convention, how far does any country's continental shelf extend beyond an already recognized 200-mile exclusive economic zone? The answer varies: Russia claims its shelf extends some 350 miles from Siberia all the way to the Lomonosov Ridge, placing the North Pole directly above Russian territory. Other states with territorial interests in the High North disagree. The major protagonists are Russia and...