Preserving capacity, General Tom Lawson, Chief of the Defence Staff, Keys to Canadian SAR
Issue link: http://vanguardcanada.uberflip.com/i/439940
A ARCTIC www.vanguardcanada.com dECEMBER 2014/JanUaRy 2015 15 Russian nuclear powered icebreaker rock, mud, water and plant samples and to place a Russian tita- nium flag on the bottom below the North Pole. Though both the U.S. and Canada have dismissed the act as purely symbolic and legally meaningless, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told reporters: "The aim of Arktika 2007 expedition was to back Rus- sia's 2008 proposal to the UNCLOS stating that these bottom samples prove Russia's claim that the Lomonosov Ridge is the continuation of the continental shelf that extends from Russia out to the North Pole." Canada has been preparing its proposal since 2003, but failed to include the North Pole area at the time of the 2013 dead- line, prompting Prime Minister Stephen Harper to withdraw the proposal and request an extension. He has said very clearly that Canada's "birthright" goes beyond its land mass and right up to the geographic North Pole. At stake is sovereignty over a vast area that by some analysts' pro- jections represents US$43 trillion worth of oil and gas (80 percent of today's world money supply). Canada and Russia have continen- tal shelves that extend beyond the 200 nautical miles Exclusive Eco- nomic Zone (EEZ). This natural prolongation will be recognized by UNCLOS as sovereign rights over the natural resources on the seabed. To determine the outer limits of the shelf, UNCLOS will use the physical attributes of the seabed as well as distance from shore to determine a series of coordinates by which the outer lim- its are defined. UNCLOS will balance recognition of the inherent rights of a coastal state over their part of the continental shelf. Theoretically, the competing claims between Canada and Rus- sia could be settled by a compromise placing the border line at the North Pole. However, the U.S. and the international community are pushing for limits to the requests made by Canada and Russia that would restrict their claims to the current 200nm EEZ and make the oil, gas and mineral resources the common heritage of mankind – a proposal based on the existing Antarctic model under which re- sources would be administered by an International Seabed Authority. With a growing number of observer nations now participating in the Convention's hearing, Harper has voiced concern that this may influ- ence an unfavourably decision for both Canada and Russia. For decades the U.S. has used the Arctic with impunity and has resisted any restrictions on traversing and operating in the Arctic Ocean both under and on the surface, bringing into question the outcome of the current attempt to divvy up the Arctic Ocean. The Russian strategy A. V. Vasiliev, ambassador at large of the Ministry of Foreign Af- fairs and Russia's representative on the Arctic Council, expressed his county's views in a 2012 magazine article. In 2008 Russia "adopted a long-term strategy for the Arctic region in context of both new and historical conditions." This strategy contains four national priorities: 1. Protect Russia's sovereignty over its territories in the Arctic and exploit oil, gas and mineral resources for socio-economic development; 2. Preserve the Arctic as a place of peace, stability and cooperation; 3. Care for the vulnerable Arctic ecosystems, and protect the in- terests of indigenous peoples of the north; and 4. Take advantage of the northern passage through the Arctic Ocean to the Pacific as an important national transport route. Although the Russian strategy has a distinctive national "pull," it also has much in common with the strategies of most other Arctic states, namely the desire to find a reasonable solution to economic development and at the same time protect the environment as well as provide support for its indigenous peoples. All Arctic states recognize the fundamental differences of the Arctic region, its rugged nature, harsh conditions and, despite rapid socio-econom- ic changes, believe it is paramount to retain the Arctic's unique character which makes it necessary for all to work together to achieve the best overall outcome. On the surface Vasiliev comments sound conciliatory. But some feel that they are no more than window dressing. Zbigniew Brzez- inski, former National Security Advisor to President Jimmy Carter, said: "Moscow's current geopolitical goal, shaped by Vladimir Putin, reflects a nostalgic obsession with the country's imperial past, with Putin attempting to recreate in a new guise something akin to the Zar's Russian empire or the more recent Soviet Union." Some feel that Russia's rapid expansion in the Arctic is a way for Putin to achieve part of his new "imperial" vision. Early manifestations of that ambition were reflected in a gran- diose overhaul of the Pacific port of Vladivostok for the 2012 APEC summit and the more than $50 billion spent to host the 2014 Sochi Olympic Games, to say nothing of recent actions in the Ukraine. To some these are seen as a harbinger of "things" to come in the Arctic. While investments by western companies in the Arctic may have been diverted temporarily – in part as a result of actions in Crimea and Eastern Ukraine – the world's oil companies are nonetheless eager to exploit the riches of Russian Arctic oil and gas. Norway's Statoil, France's Total, Italy's Enid and others have all registered interest. There remain big technical challenges to laying and maintaining pipelines under the Arctic ice, a problem that conjures up visions of environmental disaster of an unbelievable magnitude in a frag- ile region of the planet. But when a Russian political scientist ex- pressed the view that the Arctic, like Antarctic, should be treated as international territory to ensure its preservation, Putin publicly called him a "moron," bringing into question Vasiliev's carefully crafted Arctic strategy. Harper has also dismissed the Antarctic model, saying "it is ab- solutely and completely unacceptable to the government and the people of Canada." The Prime Minister has made the North a central pillar of his policy over the past eight years, visiting the region frequently to announce investments. And the Conservative Party's 2005 election campaign platform boldly spoke of blending military and civilian objectives in the Arctic by promising to build