I didn't realize that the Chinese government
might see possible advantages in the melting of the northern icecap. But apparently it does, and the foreign ministers of some of the colder
nations are discussing what to do about the panda bear's interest in going
polar.
"Earlier this month, a Chinese rear admiral asserted that the Arctic
belongs to all peoples," writes Michael Byers, a professor at the Univ. of
British Columbia who wrote Who
Owns the Arctic?
He's the king of the federal government's anti-terror
ninjas. So what keeps him up at night? Apparently, energy and climate change,
according to the Stanford blog Bellum:
Q:
"The challenge for my grandparents' generation was World War II. For my
father's generation, it was the Cold War. Is there a generational challenge for
mine?"
Crumpton:
"Yes. First, I'm more than pleased and really proud of your generation. I see
their concern manifested in issues related to energy, to the environment, to
national security - just look at the young men and women that are fighting for
our country in places like Afghanistan and Iraq, or the young entrepreneurs
that are advancing our society. So I'm very optimistic when I look to your
generation, but there are some big challenges: the fundamental shifts in the
nature of warfare, the degree of asymmetry that we see, energy challenges,
climate change that is going to come far quicker than most people realize, and
the issue of leadership through networks. How do you work independently to
achieve your objectives? And so there are a number of challenges, and of course
some of the biggest challenges will hit us five years from now, and no one
knows what they are."
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