by SilverWars, Silver Seek:
The current age has seen relatively low tension in the Arctic Region, but this may be coming to an end soon. The planet’s northernmost region is no longer fully frozen, and where there are liquid oceans, there will be countries, as well as other special interests looking to control those oceans.
There will be new shipping routes, new oil, gas, and resource claims, and generally, the opportunity to control and influence this new place.
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US-Canada Relationship Hinges On Old Dispute
The Northwest Passage (trade route) has long been in dispute between the US and Canada. This has been inconsequential to either party, except now the melting of the Arctic ocean has created new shipping routes that could cut transit times by 40% on major routes like those connecting China and Europe. This is especially important for commodities like silver, which is traditionally transported by ship, as opposed to flown due to weight and other uneconomical considerations.
Photo By Silver Wars
Canada has long claimed the Northwest Passage as internal territorial waters on the basis of a long history of native Inuit use of the waters, as well as legal arguments stemming from decades-old cases settled by the International Court of Justice.
The US has long countered this claim on the basis of its interpretation of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), a treaty that it accepts as international law but has never been ratified by Congress.
Under this view, the US sees the passage as an international strait connecting two large bodies of water. However, the “international strait” designation is usually only used in cases where there is a large volume of traffic transiting the strait.
Currently, there is little traffic, but this is likely to change.
Under this international strait framework, Canada has the right to regulate most aspects of traffic in the waterway, yet it cannot prohibit or restrict international shipping traffic.
Inconsequential Becomes Consequential
In 2019, delegates from Arctic nations – Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden, and the US – gathered in Finland to discuss balancing climate change with resource development in the region.
The council meeting ended without a joint final statement from council members, after the US delegation balked at the inclusion of the phrase “climate change”, which is ironic given this talk would have never taken place had the ocean not melted.
This would mark the first time the Arctic Council had failed to produce a declaration since 1996.
During the discussion, then Secretary of State Mike Pompeo remarked that the US rejected Canada’s claims to the Northwest Passage as “illegitimate“.
Mike Pompeo Delivering Remarks – Arctic Summit – Finland (2019).mp4
Instead of settling on just the strait, President Trump yesterday (March 11, 2025) expressed his administration’s desire to see Canada become the 51st State, which would give the US a strategic advantage in competition with the BRICs over the Arctic trade routes and better military defense posturing against Russian aggression in the area.
Canada 51st State and Greenland.mp4
Strategically, if the US were to annex Canada, it would secure control over its strategic resources and better position military bases to meet Russia’s aggression in the Arctic region.
USGS recorded that the US imports approximately. 18% of its silver needs from Canada (about 882 metric tons).
Russia’s Ukraine Aggression Means Implications for the Arctic
Russia has been quietly investing in Arctic military and industrial infrastructure for over a decade. The Northern Sea Route is their competing trade route through the Arctic to move goods from China to Europe to competitively cut down on existing trade routes with the goal of attracting financial and trade partnerships (BRICS + private sector interests).
Russia’s expanded Arctic presence is part of President Vladimir Putin’s efforts to elevate Russia’s posture on the world stage. Russia has reopened Soviet military bases and expanded the navy’s Northern fleet to patrol the route.
Russia’s goals are to increase its military power in the region to enhance its homeland defense and secure Russia’s economic future by attracting international investment.
