Arctic claims

A new move in the Arctic cold war was suggested by former US ambassador to Canada Paul Cellucci who said that the US should reconsider its traditional position on Arctic sovereignty and admit that the Northwest Passage is part of Canada. America has always considered the passage international waters but Cellucci says in the age of terrorism that gap should be closed. From the article:

He [Cellucci] says acknowledging that the passage is Canadian territory would make it easier for the Canadian navy to patrol the area, monitor shipping and guard against potential infiltration by terrorists seeking a route to smuggle weapons of mass destruction into North American. Mr. Cellucci says it’s in the American interest to see a beefed-up Canadian military presence in the Arctic for continental security reasons.

Reading the comments on the article it is interesting that some see this as a cold-hearted realist calculation of strategy, and others suggest that it is one more step in the American drive for “continental defence” and the ultimate annexation of Canada. Either way, the question is do we have to shut down possible SLOC gaps to terrorists as quickly as possible? Surface warfare blogger eagle1 thinks not.