Just in case you were doubting the universal idiocy of nationalistic chest thumping, the Canadians have begun to get touchy about Russian exploration of the Arctic Ocean. It seems that Russian exploration of the North Pole region, while in international waters, really annoys the Canadian government, since the Russians are apparently getting too close to the Canadian border (according to the Canadian state):
“We’re always going to meet any challenge to that territorial sovereignty,” Mr. MacKay added, “and I can assure you any country that is approaching Canadian airspace, approaching Canadian territory, will be met by Canadians.”
This is coupled with the fact that Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon recently declared that “we are an Arctic superpower.”
Now, this isn’t a trivial matter. The Arctic is potentially a massive oil source, and the Russians have become experts at developing oil extraction and exploration techniques in the Arctic. Plus, if global warming actually were to occur (which would be preferable to cooling, of course), the Arctic could become a massive trade route and center of commerce. But, alas, this year, the Northwest passage, an important shipping route, and contrary to dire global warming predictions, is so choked with ice due to “more extensive winter freezing,” that shipping is being disrupted.
Not that the Russians are peace-loving victims here, but at least they’ve been thinking about the issue for decades. The Canadians just seem to have recently figured out that the Arctic is an important resource.
(And just as an aside, let me note here how much Vladamir Putin entertains me. Sure, he’s your usual murderous scumbag politicians, but I really enjoy it every time he pulls one of these shirtless adventures. He rides a horse around bare chested, gives a flower to a little girl, and his popularity soars to 99.9 percent. It’s really fascinating.)
Meanwhile, Drudge and the conservatives are attempting to whip up hysteria over reports of Russian subs patrolling off the US’s east coast. It’s not as if the American government doesn’t have subs EVERYwhere, but that sort of thing never matters in the American media. The US government is basically encircling Russia with NATO allies, but the Russians send a couple of subs anywhere near the US, and it’s time to go to Def-Con 1.
9:52 pm on August 7, 2009
