Norway Wants NATO To Prepare For An Arctic Showdown
Even Norway, ensconced in the most developed corner of the world, is worried about conflict with the Russians.
Today, Stephen Saideman, a professor at Carleton University in Ottawa and a leading expert on Canadian defense and foreign policy, posted an account of his meeting with Lt. Gen Morten Haga Lunde, a Norwegian three-star general and head of his military's "operational command headquarters," and various diplomats.
According to Saideman, the Norwegians are increasingly worried about possible Russian inroads into the Arctic region, which makes sense as Russian president Vladimir Putin has taken an aggressive stance towards neighbors that threaten Moscow's perceived interests.
"Proximity breeds concern but not contempt," Saideman writes of Norway's view of possible Russian moves in the Arctic. But that concern is focused around NATO's ability to defend the alliance's interests in the Arctic in the face of possible Russian aggression: "The Norwegians want NATO to look at ye olde plans and come up with some new ones," Saidaman writes, "since the old ones were overcome by events in 1989-1991."
In short, Norway wants the alliance to be better prepared to fight a war in an Arctic environment.
Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/norway-wants-nato-to-prepare-for-an-arctic-showdown-2014-6
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