{"id":40163,"date":"2025-04-01T19:15:48","date_gmt":"2025-04-01T13:45:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=40163"},"modified":"2025-04-01T19:15:50","modified_gmt":"2025-04-01T13:45:50","slug":"why-are-tensions-high-in-the-arctic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/01-04-2025\/why-are-tensions-high-in-the-arctic","title":{"rendered":"Why Are Tensions High in the Arctic?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus<\/strong><strong>: GS2\/International Relations; GS3\/Resource Geography<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Arctic has become a <strong>geopolitical hotspot<\/strong> due to climate change, resource competition, and strategic rivalries among major powers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>About Arctic Region<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It is one of the most fragile and crucial ecosystems on Earth, covering the northernmost parts of the planet.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It includes the <strong>Arctic Ocean, parts of Canada, Russia, Greenland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, and the United States (Alaska).<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Arctic is <strong>warming at nearly four times the global average<\/strong>, causing environmental and economic shifts that influence policies and territorial claims.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Key Factors Driving Geopolitical Tensions in Arctic Region<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Natural Resources:<\/strong> According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the region holds about <strong>13% of the world\u2019s undiscovered oil and 30% of its natural gas.<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>With ice caps retreating, these resources are becoming increasingly accessible, fueling competition among nations seeking to exploit them.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>New Navigational Routes:<\/strong> These include routes such as the <strong>Northern Sea Route (NSR)<\/strong> and the <strong>Northwest Passage<\/strong> are becoming viable alternatives to the Suez and Panama Canals.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The <strong>Northeast Passage<\/strong> along Russia\u2019s Arctic coast could <strong>shorten trade routes between Asia and Europe<\/strong> by 8,000 km, reducing costs significantly.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Northwest Passage<\/strong>, a potential shipping route through Canada\u2019s Arctic archipelago, remains a flashpoint.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Canada asserts it as internal waters, while the US insists it is an <strong>international strait with freedom of navigation<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Key Concerns\/Challenges<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Russia\u2019s Expansion in the Arctic:<\/strong> Russia, which<strong> controls nearly half of the Arctic coastline,<\/strong> has been actively increasing its military presence in the region.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It has reopened Soviet-era military bases, deployed nuclear-powered icebreakers, and modernized its Arctic military infrastructure.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Russia conducted regular military drills, signaling its determination to assert control over Arctic waters.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>NATO\u2019s Response and Western Concerns:<\/strong> In response to Russia, the United States and NATO have ramped up their presence in the region.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Finland and Sweden\u2019s decision to join NATO<\/strong> is partly due to concerns over Russian aggression, particularly after its invasion of Ukraine.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The US has increased Arctic military exercises, deployed submarines, and strengthened ties with Norway and Canada to counter Russian influence.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The United Kingdom, for instance, has repeatedly emphasised the strategic importance of the <strong>Greenland-Iceland-U.K. (GIUK) gap<\/strong>, a critical <strong>choke point for NATO\u2019s naval defences.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>China\u2019s Growing Arctic Ambitions:<\/strong> China, despite being a non-Arctic nation, has declared itself a <strong>\u2018near-Arctic state\u2019 <\/strong>and is investing heavily in Arctic infrastructure.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It has proposed a <strong>\u2018Polar Silk Road\u2019 as part of its Belt and Road Initiative, <\/strong>aiming to establish economic and scientific footholds in the region.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Legal Disputes and Territorial Claims:<\/strong> Several Arctic nations have competing territorial claims in the region, particularly over the continental shelf.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img data-dominant-color=\"c2cdd2\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"763\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/04\/ice-cold-war-763x1024.png\" alt=\"ice cold war\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-40164\" style=\"--dominant-color: #c2cdd2; width:427px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/04\/ice-cold-war-763x1024.png 763w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/04\/ice-cold-war-223x300.png 223w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/04\/ice-cold-war-768x1031.png 768w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/04\/ice-cold-war.png 1118w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 763px) 100vw, 763px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Geopolitical Implications<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS):<\/strong> Nations can extend their claims to the seabed <strong>beyond the 200-nautical-mile EEZ<\/strong> if they can prove that the area is a natural prolongation of their continental shelf.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Russia, Canada, and Denmark (via Greenland) have all submitted claims to extend their seabed sovereignty under the <strong>UNCLOS.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The <strong>US, which has not ratified UNCLOS,<\/strong> faces limitations in asserting its claims. Meanwhile, Russia has used legal maneuvers and strategic military positioning to reinforce its claims, challenging Western interests.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Arctic Council:<\/strong> It is composed of <strong>eight nations (U.S., Canada, Russia, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland)<\/strong>, and aims to promote environmental protection and scientific cooperation.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It was formally established in 1996 through the <strong>Ottawa Declaration.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>India is an Observer in the Arctic Council.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>India\u2019s Role in Arctic Research<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>India, despite being a <strong>non-Arctic nation<\/strong>, plays an active role in Arctic research.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR):<\/strong> India conducts scientific studies on climate patterns, marine biodiversity, and glacial dynamics.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>India\u2019s Arctic Policy<\/strong>, titled \u2018India and the Arctic\u2019 by the <strong>Ministry of Earth Science<\/strong> for building a partnership for sustainable development.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>India established <strong>Himadri (in 2008)<\/strong>, its research station in <strong>Svalbard, Norway,<\/strong> to study Arctic climate systems and their global impact.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/news\/international\/why-are-tensions-high-in-the-arctic-explained\/article69396260.ece\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Source: TH<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Arctic has become a geopolitical hotspot due to climate change, resource competition, and strategic rivalries among major powers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-40163","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40163","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40163"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40163\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":40165,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40163\/revisions\/40165"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40163"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40163"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40163"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}