This week’s topic focused on the emerging reality for transportation in the Arctic ocean. Warming waters, as a result of climate change, have been slowly shrinking the range of Arctic ice in northern waters. Since the reality that there will be freely navigable Arctic water routes, many nations in the Northern Hemisphere have started speculating on policy regarding the shipping industry and tourism (in the form of cruise ships).
Perhaps one of the most critical aspects of the future trade routes is the concern of national security in the Arctic regions, and I feel that this week’s readings did not really consider as much as they should have. United Nations maritime law states that a nation’s water territory expands up to 200 nautical miles from its shores – that is, if there is not another nation to contest those waters. Opening up shipping routes and other maritime activities in the Arctic would force many arctic nations to expand their military’s influence. Alaska, in particular, would drastically gain international and strategic importance because of its geographical location. Alaska is the only area that connects the rest of the United States to the Arctic Ocean, and it could potentially serve as an international buffer for transportation as its aquatic territory separates Russia, China, and Pacific countries from Canada and Atlantic countries. Therefore, Alaska would give the United States extremely high leverage for managing and regulating trade in these regions.
If tensions between the United States and Russia + China continue on its current trend then it is highly likely that Alaska will be further militarized on its coastline for naval/coast guard bases and further inland for air force installations. The securitization of the Arctic is all but inevitable with the presence of shipping routes in the arctic and the expansion of arctic tourism.