"Will it be the next geopolitical battleground or remain the common heritage of humankind?"
It is estimated that the arctic region may hold over 40% of the current global reserves of oil and gas. There may also be significant reserves of coal, zinc and silver. The Hindu : Opinion / Op-Ed : India's stake in Arctic cold war: Arctic shipping routes will cut global shipping routes by several thousand kms. All these increase the geopolitical importance of the Northern Tier countries.
The sharpening tensions arising out of long-standing territorial disputes among the Arctic countries are also a consequence of the prospects of significant economic and strategic gains. What happens in the Arctic may well trigger a negative change in the Antarctic.
The distribution of the world's critical resources would be drastically rearranged. The geopolitical centre of gravity may well swing back from the Asia-Pacific to the trans-Atlantic. Is the world on the threshold of a new geopolitical contest, centred on the warming waters of the Arctic?
It is ironic that while on the one hand the world is grappling with global warming triggered by climate change, the world's major powers are scrambling to profit from its consequences in the fragile Arctic zone. The ongoing multilateral negotiations on climate change under the U.N. may soon become irrelevant.
The Arctic Ocean is as much a “global commons” as is the Antarctica. Non-Arctic countries need to assert their right to have their say in the management of the Arctic. India should mobilise international public opinion in favour of declaring the Arctic a common heritage of mankind and sponsoring an international legal regime on the lines of the 1959 Antarctic Treaty, where the territorial claims of states have been shelved for the duration of the Treaty. Placing this on the U.N. agenda during India's term in the Security Council and initiating international action on it could be a historic contribution by India in its role as a responsible global power.
Shyam Saran, the author, is a former Foreign Secretary. He is currently Chairman, RIS, and Senior Fellow, CPR.
The sharpening tensions arising out of long-standing territorial disputes among the Arctic countries are also a consequence of the prospects of significant economic and strategic gains. What happens in the Arctic may well trigger a negative change in the Antarctic.
The distribution of the world's critical resources would be drastically rearranged. The geopolitical centre of gravity may well swing back from the Asia-Pacific to the trans-Atlantic. Is the world on the threshold of a new geopolitical contest, centred on the warming waters of the Arctic?
It is ironic that while on the one hand the world is grappling with global warming triggered by climate change, the world's major powers are scrambling to profit from its consequences in the fragile Arctic zone. The ongoing multilateral negotiations on climate change under the U.N. may soon become irrelevant.
The Arctic Ocean is as much a “global commons” as is the Antarctica. Non-Arctic countries need to assert their right to have their say in the management of the Arctic. India should mobilise international public opinion in favour of declaring the Arctic a common heritage of mankind and sponsoring an international legal regime on the lines of the 1959 Antarctic Treaty, where the territorial claims of states have been shelved for the duration of the Treaty. Placing this on the U.N. agenda during India's term in the Security Council and initiating international action on it could be a historic contribution by India in its role as a responsible global power.
Shyam Saran, the author, is a former Foreign Secretary. He is currently Chairman, RIS, and Senior Fellow, CPR.
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