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Russia Flags North Pole Claim ...
Hmm.
We wonder how well this will go down?
Okay, we agree;you're right.
That really was a corny, photo-op-intro if ever there was one.
All the same, when viewed in the context of the following Russia related report, our opening question could scarcely be considered less than a serious query.
Anyone else hereabouts sense signs of a distinct (if so far, still distant) chill in the air?
Could there be another kind of cold war coming?
Think on this.
The stakes involved could hardly be any higher - and there's always plenty of 'pro' players (poker faced or not), seeking a slice of some action in this sort of super-big-bucks game.
Witness a quick clip & paste from the BBC site.
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We wonder how well this will go down?
Okay, we agree;you're right.
That really was a corny, photo-op-intro if ever there was one.
All the same, when viewed in the context of the following Russia related report, our opening question could scarcely be considered less than a serious query.
Russians plant flag on Arctic seabedUh, oh.
By Douglas Birch, Associated Press Writer
MOSCOW - Two deep-diving Russian mini-submarines descended more than 2 1/2 miles under North Pole ice to stake a flag on the ocean floor Thursday, part of a quest to bolster Russian claims to much of the Arctic's oil-and-mineral wealth.
Anyone else hereabouts sense signs of a distinct (if so far, still distant) chill in the air?
Could there be another kind of cold war coming?
Think on this.
The stakes involved could hardly be any higher - and there's always plenty of 'pro' players (poker faced or not), seeking a slice of some action in this sort of super-big-bucks game.
Witness a quick clip & paste from the BBC site.
Several countries with territories bordering the Arctic - including Russia, the US, Canada and Denmark - have launched competing claims to the region.Read the rest of the relevant Russian/Polar report right here.
The competition has intensified as melting polar ice caps have opened up the possibility of new shipping routes in the region.
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Labels: Arctic, mini-submarine, North Pole, Russia
posted by Richard at Thursday, August 02, 2007
3 Comments:
It looks to me like Norway should also have a claim in the region, but the story only refers to Denmark, Canada, U.S. and Russia.
I think this "planting of the flag" may not come to anything more than what has already been agreed about where the lines should be drawn, but it was an interesting public relations move, good for domestic consumption.
After all, planting an American flag on the moon did not make the moon a property of the United States, but it was a source of American pride.
This Russian move draws attention to the fact that many previously inaccessible spots along Russia's long Northern border will become accessible with Global Warming, creating an area where commercial shipping lanes could operate (not just for oil) ...and military, I suppose.
I think that as much as anything else this is Putin showing the US (and allies) that it doesn't rule the world ~ no matter how strongly it believes it does.
I look at this in tandem with Putin's response over the US proposed Eastern Europe sitings of so callled defensive missiles ~ when he said if this went ahead he RE-target Western European countries.
And then there's the diplomatic expulsions 'tit for tat spat' with UK.
And of course, the oil, gas and arms deals recently made and~or increased ~ with Iran.
Bottom line message from Russia? We're solvent again. We're back in business. BIG time. So ~ don't f*ck with us ~ OK?
Canada's not crazy about Russia's 15th century throwback move. It's Canadian territory as far as Canada's concerned.
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