Maritime Jurisdiction and Boundaries in the Arctic Region

Well, it looks like Denmark does.  But why does that matter?  Bragging rights aside, fixing the international boundaries around the actual North Pole may not be that important.  What is far more important is who will control the vast amount of oil and gas thought to be sitting below the Arctic ocean.

The International Boundaries Research Unit, at Durham University has issued a new report, available in pdf from the website above, that that examines boundaries in the Arctic and discusses both likely boundaries and potential claims that the surrounding countries may make soon.  The report and briefing notes are a good introduction to an issue that could have major international-relations and economic implications.

The IBRU’s website is also a good resource for boundary-related news and links, with searchable news and link archives.