Arctic Territorial Dispute

As things heat up in the South China Sea in the dispute between China and the rest of the region (Philippines, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Malaysia, and even Brunei – all with US support), there is a more fun example brewing on this side of the world.

In 1845, a British ship went down in the Arctic in a quest to find the Northwest Passage.  The ship has recently been discovered by the Canadians and they are trying to use the salvage operation as a way to establish sovereignty for the area.  This is a direct parallel to the Chinese activities.  The Chinese are going to claim that their activities building reefs and establishing bases on them demonstrate sovereignty over the area, which is full of fishing, oil and gas, and military benefits.  Canada wants to do the same thing here.  With the melting of the ice caps, there is a lot more potential for economic activity in terms of oil and gas exploration, shipping lanes, and more.

 But instead of building bases, they are salvaging a piece of history.  As the inheritor of the British colony of Canada, they claim that the sunken wreck is part of Canadian history. Its presence and subsequent salvage gives them a legal path to claim the area.

Then there is another interesting twist.  The US has come out against Canada.  Not because it could set a precedent that would help China in the South China Sea, but because it could set a precedent for Iran to claim the Straight of Hormuz.  Iran has similar activities over there.  And Iranian control of the major oil shipping lane would be a huge shift in the geopolitical balance.

Don’t play checkers when the opponents are playing chess !