Disarmament Commission Sub-Commission 2 …Position: President of the Disarmament Commission Sub-Commission 2 Introduction In our rapidly-warming world, climate change has brought

Malaysian Model United Nations

MYMUN Research Report | Page 1 of 8

Forum: Disarmament Commission Sub-Commission 2

Issue: Implementing strategies to combat the militarization of the Arctic

Student Officer: Cashua Wang

Position: President of the Disarmament Commission Sub-Commission 2

Introduction

In our rapidly-warming world, climate change has brought about the melting of the Arctic icecaps,

opening up previously blocked, resource-rich areas of the world to exploitation and territorial grabs by

multi-national corporations (MNCs) and nation-state actors. With the escalation of military buildups in the

Arctic by nation-states and expeditions into prospective Arctic oil shelves by nation-allied MNCs,

tensions are rising, possibly a sign of a new Cold War.

Definition of Key Terms

Arctic

The Arctic region is the region of land above the Arctic Circle (internationally marked at 66

degrees, 32 minutes north), containing land from multiple northern European and North American

countries. This region encapsulates most of the world’s melting ice shelf.

Arctic Council (AC)

The Arctic Council is an intergovernmental organization comprised of eight states (Canada,

Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russian Federation, Sweden, and the USA), aimed towards

addressing issues faced by Arctic states and the indigenous peoples of the Arctic. The ACwas

established by the 1996 Ottawa Declaration.

Militarization

According to the Miriam-Webster Dictionary, Militarization is the adaption of something for military

use, equipping with military forces and defense, or giving a military character to something.



United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)

The 1982 UNCLOS is a treaty addressing the rights of nations concerning the sea including

issues such as sovereign territorial rights, pollution, scientific exploration, militarization of the

oceans, and more. Countries have sovereign territorial rights over bordering seas for a 200

nautical mile limit while all nations have certain rights concerning seas, regardless of

geographical location.

General Overview

History and causes of arctic militarization

Climate change and trade routes

With the advent of climate change, the Arctic’s polar icecaps are melting, shrinking in

size and allowing for unprecedented access to the Arctic. The Arctic itself has shrunk in size by

around 45,100 square kilometers per year and is melting at an accelerated pace.

Complete melting of the icecaps would provide a new trade route, the Northern Sea

Route, cutting directly through the northern Arctic. This sea route could easily rival the Suez

Canal as a shipping passage between Asia and Europe, taking 35 days instead of the Suez

Canal’s 48 days. Controlling this shipping route would provide economic advantages and clout in

the international shipping industry.

Caption #1: Current Arctic shipping routes



Natural resources and sea wildlife

Several other incentives for the militarization of the Arctic include the richness of the

Arctic in the abundance of natural resources and wildlife. The Arctic holds reserves of oil and

natural gas—the US estimates that around 15% of the earth’s remaining oil and 30% of its

natural gas are in the Arctic bed. Several companies have begun or are preparing to drill in the

Arctic seabed for oil.

The Arctic remains an abundant fishing ground. Even with rising temperatures, the Arctic

undergoes vertical mixing, the convection of heat in water, causing an abundance of fish. The

availability of fish makes the Arctic a potential center for states to establish fisheries.

Territorial claims

The Arctic encompasses land from five countries: Canada, Denmark, Norway, the

Russian Federation, and the US. According the UNCLOS, each member nation of the United

Nations (UN) holds territorial sovereignty over a 200-nautical mile limit off the coast of a nation. In

the Arctic, there are roughly 1.1 million square miles of sea north of any state-jurisdiction.

Many countries seek control over the Arctic. Canada and the US disagree on Canada’s territorial

sovereignty over the Northwest Passage, a new waterway running through northern Canadian

islands. Canada exerts its territorial sovereignty over the waterway while the US and other

nations believe that it is an international one.

Caption #2: Northwest Passage—Canada and the US’s Contention Point



Key participation

Militarizing countries

Key militarizing countries include the members of the Arctic Council, NATO, and certain

EU members. Norway, Denmark, Sweden, and the USA have all begun militarizing for country

defense, by training troops and developing air forces and navies, primarily with NATO and via

defense treaties. The EU is cautious of overt militarization. Singapore and China have

demonstrated interest in the Arctic’s scientific and economic potential and currently conduct

scientific explorations in the area.

Canada is militarizing quickly, ordering the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) to stage

annual military exercises in the Arctic since 2006. A CAF center lies close to the Arctic while

Canada further maintains 12 icebreakers. Canada takes part in bilateral military exercises with

the US in the Arctic as well as in Operation Cold Response, a NATO-affiliated, Norwegian, US,

and Canadian-backed military operation.

The Russian Federation is militarizing rapidly, establishing icebreaker fleets, and

constructing a chain of 10 Arctic search and rescue stations as well as 16 deep-water ports. A

year-round airbase is under construction in the New Siberian Islands as well as 13 extra airfields

and 10 extra radar stations, allowing it to send in bigger bombers by 2025.

Treaties in effect

Despite the lack of a binding form of law over the Arctic, numerous bilateral treaties and

solutions have been sought by member nations. Some of the key ones include the following:

The “Treaty between the Russian Federation and the Kingdom of Norway on Maritime

Delimitation and Cooperation in the Barents Sea and the Arctic Ocean” is a key bilateral treaty

and delimitation agreement between Norway and Russia. The “Canada-US Arctic Cooperation

Agreement” of 1988 allows for the US and Canada to function and negotiate about the Northwest

Passage, including usage of the passage without incurring the necessity of settling the passage’s

legal jurisdiction.



Strategies to combat arctic militarization

International arbitration and diplomacy

International arbitration and diplomacy are the most feasible solutions. The Arctic Council

especially plays a major part in writing treaties and agreeing on solutions for issues concerning

the Arctic. However, the binding power of the Arctic Council is limited at best with a complicated

council structure and lack of control over security threats.

A feasible action would be to establish a detailed and comprehensive Arctic Treaty via the

UN, allowing for an internationally binding treaty or convention to govern the actions of nation-

state actors. The International Court of Justice (ICJ), a judicial organ of the UN for settling

lawsuits between nations, remains a feasible solution for settling complaints and defusing tension

in the conflict by arbitrating between nations through legal means.

Restrictions on military actions

Another method of solving arctic militarization involves limitations on military actions, most

feasibly in the form of an arms limitation treaty for the Arctic among the member nations of the

UN. Member nations could agree to surveillance of the Arctic, with overall cooperation between

members of the UN, regardless of political affiliation or bloc. Another method would be to

designate the Arctic as a weapons of mass destruction-free zone.

Timeline of Events

Date Description of event

November 16th, 1994 1982 UNCLOS comes into force as an international treaty on the sea.

September 19th, 1996 1996 Ottawa Declaration establishes the Arctic Council.

2006 First exercise of Norwegian-led military operation, Cold Response, occurs.

2007 Russia plants a flag on the Arctic seabed, close to the North Pole.

August 2007 Putin orders the resuming of regular air patrols over the Arctic.

December 2012 Canada and the US sign the Tri-Command Framework for Arctic Cooperation,

integrating US and Canadian military in training and exercises and research.



UN Involvement, Relevant Resolutions, Treaties and Events

The UN has not passed any resolutions concerning the militarization of the Arctic. However, the

United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea is a major legally binding document with jurisdiction

over the seas of the world, applying even in the Arctic region.

• Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea, 3 December 1982, (A/RES/37/66)

• United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, 10 December 1982



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Disarmament Commission Sub-Commission 2 …Position: President of the Disarmament Commission Sub-Commission 2 Introduction In our rapidly-warming world, climate change has brought

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