Arctic Resource Conflicts: Sources and Solutions

Abstract

Until World War II, the far North was a remote and isolated area of interest only to a handful of explorers, fur traders, missionaries, scientists and to a sparse population of indigenous peoples who had managed to adapt to the harsh natural environments of the region over several millenia. The War changed all this, initiating a series of far-reaching developments that have accelerated rapidly during the last generation. Major battles were fought in the Aleutian Islands and around the North Cape of Europe during the War. Both Alaska and the Kola Peninsula emerged as key links in the shipping route for American Lend Lease materials bound for the Soviet Union. Following the War, the far North attained prominence as the most direct route for bombers and missiles to fly between the United States and the Soviet Union. Consequently, the region became an important site for military installations, such as Distant Early Warning (DEW) Line stations and strategic airbases.