As Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrives in the Arctic ostensibly to discuss preserving its unique environment, a disturbing series of communications revealed today by wikileaks tell another story.
These cables confirm what we have long been saying: several nations - including the US - appear ready to go to war over Arctic oil.
For years now, the military forces of Arctic nations like Russia, the US, Norway, and even Canada and Denmark have been watching the ice melt in the far north and getting ready to assert claims to the oil and gas resources that have previously been covered by ice.
Saber rattling and high level posturing has steadily increased over the past five years, exemplified by Russia using a nuclear submarine to plant their flag on the seafloor near the North Pole.
Arctic countries have increased military exercises in these remote waters, with territorial disputes persisting between the US and Canada, between Canada and Denmark, and between Russia and pretty much everybody else. Not wanting to be left out, Norway, already an oil giant, is in the mix as well.
Other nations are busy seeking to extend their territorial boundaries in the Arctic under provisions in the United Nations Law of the Sea, the international agreement that is best suited to reduce tensions in the region. Incredibly, the US has not ratified this treaty, which could leave the US out of the picture as the rest of the Arctic nations resolve their claims.
http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/en/news-and-blogs/campaign-blog/wikileaks-hillary-clinton-fighting-secret-arc/blog/34741