The Arctic as the next battleground? Don’t count on it

In any conflict between China and the United States (and its allies), the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait are likely battlefields. But as tensions between Russia and the West also grow, where might conflict between these two camps break out? The Baltic certainly is a potential theater, and, if so, then such countries as Estonia and Poland certainly have a lot to worry about.

Global warming, however, raises the specter that the Arctic might become a new zone for conflict, as the polar icecap recedes and the area becomes more accessible. In the first place, competition for natural resources in the region is increasing. The Arctic is believed to contain up to 25% of the world’s remaining oil and gas reserves, estimated to be worth as much as US$20 trillion.

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