So I guess we don’t have to be concerned about this.

http://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/articles/2018/6/20/china-russia-cooperating-in-arctic-as-region-gains-strategic-importance

Most of the world’s land masses and population are located in the Northern Hemisphere. A navigable Arctic ocean will be a shortcut for travel, trade, warfare and commerce, and it will replace the current axis about which global influence is arrayed: the North Atlantic, and the current high ground that dominates Northern Hemisphere activity today, North America.

And then, there’s all those resources in the Arctic Basin which will now be accessible, and which may have to be defended, seized, interdicted or moved. I wonder if perhaps our current administration’s effort to minimize the importance of climate and Arctic affairs had its origin in the Kremlin.

It only 1makes sense that Russia is going to encourage any shifts in US policy that favor its own interests, but the more and more I look at it I’m starting to suspect that perhaps Putin’s control and direction of the Trump White House may not be all that passive. It may very well be directed and coordinated with specific strategic goals in mind.

The US is in a good position to take advantage of changes in Arctic climate and geography, we have a strong military and economic ally that controls half of the Arctic Basin’s littoral, Canada, and good relations with other nations with Arctic interests and proximity, the UK, Denmark, Norway and Iceland. NATO still forms the cornerstone of our European defense. The West, under US leadership, could easily dominate the Polar Sea and frustrate Russian ambitions there if it chose to. But we seem to be neglecting those assets and opportunities, aren’t we? Maybe its not an accident, or sheer stupidity, maybe it is policy.

The way the pieces are distributed on the board tends to determine to a great extent how the game will play out, above and beyond the plans, capabilities and motivations of the players. A weak chess player trades pieces for pieces. A strong one trades pieces for position. A Master trades position for position.

Isn’t geopolitical conspiracy theorizing fun?