Danger: A Grave Danger

By kardaska @Adobe Stock

Projecting Power: Racing for Control of Bear Gap in the Artic

Was it sabotage when a Russian fishing trawler severed an essential internet cable linking Svalbard? In January 2022, after crisscrossing more than 100 times over the exact cut site. Norway’s authorities have not reached an official conclusion. “Security officials,” however, “believe the damage was deliberate.”

“It was a pretty major signal that they (Russians) can do anything they want. For us, it clearly showed the vulnerabilities,” said an unidentified Norwegian official.

Svalbard, a collection of mountains, glaciers, and fjords, is comparable to the size of W. Virginia. In an unusual treaty signed in 1920, Norway was granted sovereignty but also “allowed signatory states, including the Soviet Union, to exploit resources and conduct research.”

The global race for the Arctic is increasing. There is a battle going on, a competition, if you will, in the Arctic and in the Norwegian archipelago (Svalbard) for a maritime thoroughfare called Bear Gap. Russia and China are defying the West by using critical stepping stones to project power across one of the world’s most sensitive regions in the Arctic region, according to the WSJ.

Following the invasion of Ukraine, Russia and China, from Chinese energy investments to security links – have deepened their Arctic ties. Last year – the Chinese coast guard agreed to strengthen law-enforcement cooperation with Russia’s FSB security service. In August, a Chinese icebreaker for the first time paid a visit to Murmansk on the Kola Peninsula.

Norwegian officials report a growing Chinese interest in acquiring land on the archipelago, including a recent proposal to establish a laser research station. Officials say Svalbard has become an increasingly important espionage target for both China and Russia, with Norwegian companies advising employees to turn off their phones when traveling to Russian-controlled dwellings.

Norway’s Foreign Minister Espen Barthe Eide would like research on Svalbard conducted by Norwegian facilities.

There is a return of geopolitical competition in the Arctic and Svalbard that is a key piece of the puzzle, reports Minister Eide. from Chinese energy investments to security links

Trade Routes and Oil 

The competition for Svalbard represents an intensifying global race for the Arctic. Why the Arctic (north Norway)? One-fifth of the world’s untapped oil and natural gas reserves, as well as other minerals, are in this region. To avoid chokepoints at the Suez Canal and Malacca Strait, Moscow, and Beijing want to use the shorter Northern Sea Route as the ice melts to ship goods via the Arctic.

With the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Norway and her allies have become more unsettled. In what was considered a “stark warning,” Russia urged Norway not to challenge Russia on Svalbard. Russia, according to a front-page WSJ article, has “reopened dozens of Soviet military bases in the Arctic.”

Then there’s China, which declared itself a “near-Arctic” nation in 2018 despite being some 900 miles from the Arctic Circle. China is building new icebreakers. Russian officials say “to work on the research center starting this year.” Although research activities are generally allowed under the Svalbard treat, Norway is not enthused about the idea. Research work has stopped. According to a Norwegian official, it would be difficult to monitor what happens there.

Speaking of Icebreakers:

Last month, a Chinese delegation traveled to Svalbard to meet Russian officials on the agenda: Pyramiden, an abandoned Russian settlement on the archipelago that is frozen in time. This once-bustling Soviet coal mining community is now a ghost town. Arctic foxes now roam disserted streets, and guides carry rifles to protect against errant Polar Bears as indifferent herds of Reindeer graze in front of vacant apartment buildings.

Russia is looking to revive Pyramiden by building a research center with China by attracting tourists.  One local Russian employee called it a “Soviet Disneyland.” Just what everyone can’t wait to see, you can imagine, is the northernmost statue of Comrade Lenin.

Meanwhile, Norway reports on a growing interest by China to obtain land in the archipelago. A recent proposal would establish a laser-research station. With Svalbard now an increasingly important espionage target for both China and Russia, Norwegian companies advise employees to turn off their phones when traveling to Russian-controlled buildings.

There is a growing interest in Svalbard that is “difficult to overestimate, warns Andrei Chemerilo, the Russian consul on Svalbard.

From an interview with Norway’s Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide  

We are seeing the return of geopolitical competition in the Arctic, and Svalbard is a key piece of the puzzle.

As the global race for the Arctic intensifies, a growing sense of unease arises among the residents of Svalbard.

Mayor Terje Aunevik of Longyearbyen, Svalbard’s administrative center, comments,

The Russians used to come to our events, we went to their parades, we had their vodka. Suddenly it all dramatically changed in February 2022. The trust is now broken.”

In an unprecedented display of the incumbent vice president taking on duties normally reserved for the president, it has been reported that Kamala Harris took a solo call from Prime Minister Erna Solberg of Norway on Tuesday,

Kamala Harris affirmed her commitment to “deepening the strong alliance between Norway and the United States” while also “thanking the Prime Minister for Norway’s close security partnership with the United States and generous contributions to development and health security efforts around the world.”