The Arctic Ocean is not always covered in ice, and when it is relatively ice-free, amounts to a shipping shortcut between the far East and countries on the Atlantic coast. It matters a lot who has influence there, and the biggest players are Russia, Canada, and the U.S. (Alaska). Influence may be measured by who has the largest and most capable fleet of icebreakers. Russia has nuclear-powered icebreakers. The U.S. has a small handful of icebreakers. I don't have a sense for how many Canada has (the Canadian interest extends from the Yukon to Baffin Island).
What's going on with the Arctic?
The Arctic Ocean is not always covered in ice, and when it is relatively ice-free, amounts to a shipping shortcut between the far East and countries on the Atlantic coast. It matters a lot who has influence there, and the biggest players are Russia, Canada, and the U.S. (Alaska). Influence may be measured by who has the largest and most capable fleet of icebreakers. Russia has nuclear-powered icebreakers. The U.S. has a small handful of icebreakers. I don't have a sense for how many Canada has (the Canadian interest extends from the Yukon to Baffin Island).
geopolitically semi-disputed