The Northwest Passage: Why Does It Matter?

Today, Bush unveiled a directive, unilaterally asserting the US claim to the Northwest Passage.

From the Globe:

The passage is a difficult, twisting route, watched by Canada's Radarsat 2 space satellite and some Canadian Coast Guard and occasional navy ships, and regulated by reasonably stringent environmental controls. But if the rate of melt in the high Arctic continues to increase, expectations are that the North Pole may be ice-free within five to 15 years, thus opening a much shorter over-the-Pole route for cargo vessels and giant oil and gas tankers. Why then would any tanker or merchant ship use the Canadian-regulated Northwest Passage when an easier and cheaper route will be available, with less stringent regulation? In other words, contention over the sovereignty of the passage will all but vanish if only a few vessels serving the Canadian Arctic want to use it.

This logic suggests that Canada should continue its present largely administrative approach to the passage in dealing with the United States and other maritime powers for the short term. Why wave an emotional flag about an issue that will soon largely disappear? Why even consider going to law if we might lose? So long as Canada can enforce its pollution controls, what else matters?

What matters is that if the passage is considered international waters, enemy and friend alike will have flyover privileges, and NORAD will have no claim to response if Russian planes begin flying through the Passage.

That's why it matters.

Also, there is the whole issue of control. If we cannot control the passage, then we have no say over the type of tanker or ship that traverses the passage, which could mean that that Somali pirates will be able to roam the Northwest Passage, just as they roam the African coast.

This is a nightmare, and the idea that the passage will be some moot point because nobody will care in a few years because they can go straight over the pole is pure nonsense. The Passage is viable now. Not in 20 years as the Pole will be.

Even if that were so, it would mean Canada's sovereignty would be severely compromised. This is a power struggle we need to win.