The Arctic Trefoil

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“Divide and conquer”, or “divide et impera” from Latin, is a common principle in politics and sociology known from the ancient times. It has been associated with Philip II of Macedon, Caesar, Napoleon, and more others as a military principle used to expand their territories. “Divide and conquer” is based on distributing power into smaller power groups to control land and its resources. Modern world politics and art of military warfare is no different from the ancient times and usually operates the very same principles. Recent expansion of the Arctic by the Russian Federation made a lot of countries wonder if this is a new chapter of the Cold War and if the world’s boundaries would be changing again.
The base, dubbed "The Arctic Trefoil" due to its three-point structure, was built on Franz Josef Land – an archipelago in a remote region of the Arctic. The 14,000-square mile complex, which will house about 150 personnel for up to 18 months, will serve in a capacity of protecting Russian airspace and other interests in the region (Fox News). International law states that high seas and the area of the Arctic Ocean are not owned by anybody, but it is under the authority of five coastal states: Canada, Norway, Russia, Denmark, and the United States. A country has a ten-year period to make claims to an extended continental shelf …show more content…
A good show of force is not a bad way of reassuring other countries to drop the idea of conquering the Arctic. At the same time, Russian government wants to show its citizens that country is strong as never before and continue the famous legacy of expanding territories founded by the Soviet Union. The United States government must make sure that nation’s military and commercial interest is represented adequately in the high seas of the Arctic, as natural resources extraction will be possible with lower expenses due to the global climate

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