Arctic Front: Defending Canada in the Far North · ARCTIC FRONT DEFENDING CANADA IN THE FAR NORTH...
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ARCTIC FRONT DEFENDING CANADA IN THE FAR NORTH Ken S. Coates P. Whitney Lackenbauer William R. Morrison Greg Poelzer ARCTIC FRONT DEFENDING CANADA IN THE FAR NORTH Ken S. Coates P. Whitney Lackenbauer William R. Morrison Greg Poelzer Ken S. Coates was raised in Whitehorse and has a long-standing interest in northern themes. He has published widely, with many of his books aimed at general audiences. Titles include Canada’s Colonies, The Sinking of the Princess Sophia (with Bill Morrison), The Modern North (with Judith Powell), North to Alaska (on the building of the Alaska Highway), and many academic books. He has worked on north-centred television documentaries and served as a consultant to northern governments and organizations. He is cur- rently Professor of History and Dean of Arts, Univer- sity of Waterloo. P. Whitney Lackenbauer is one of Canada’s leading experts on northern security and defence issues. He has travelled throughout the Arctic with the Cana- dian Rangers and has worked extensively on the his- tory of the DEW Line. His most recent book is Battle Grounds: The Canadian Military and Aboriginal Land. He is currently a Professor of History at St. Jerome’s University, University of Waterloo. William R. Morrison is recognized as Canada’s most senior historian of the Canadian North. His well- regarded book True North provides an overview his- tory of the Canadian North. He has published over a dozen books, many with Ken Coates, including The Alaska Highway in World War II, Land of the Midnight Sun (a history of the Yukon), and Strange Things Done, a history of murder in the Yukon. He is currently Professor of History, University of Northern British Columbia. Greg Poelzer is a leading expert on circumpolar affairs and the politics of the modern North. He has many years of experience in Russia and Scandinavia and has a long-standing interest in Arctic studies in Canada. He is also the founding Dean of Undergraduate Studies for the University of the Arctic, a consortium of 90 northern universities and colleges that works collabora- tively to provide undergraduate and graduate education to northerners. He is an Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Saskatchewan. jacket photos: norbert wu/getty (ship) istockphoto (bear) Thomas Allen Publishers Printed and bound in Canada $29.95 ARCTIC FRONT A timely and provocative book about the history and future of the Canadian Arctic. An energetic and engaging collaboration by four of Canada’s leading Northern specialists, Arctic Front is a clarion call to all Canadians about our endangered Arctic region, challenging the country to step away from the symbols and myth-making of the past and toward the urgent political, environmental, and eco- nomic realities of the 21st century. Through a lively and engaging history of the region, Arctic Front reveals how Canadians and their governments have • ignored this region for generations; • expanded Canadian sovereignty over the past hundred years by reacting to other countries’ challenges, instead of proactively asserting our authority; • become the least effective of all circumpolar nations in responding to the challenges and needs of the Arctic, including a failure to capi- talize on the human and economic resources of this vast land; • neglected to establish a presence in the North that would make any foreign claims to offshore resources inconceivable. As global warming continues to melt the ice in the Northwest Passage and the competition for northern resources heats up, Canada, the authors warn, will be forced to defend this area from a position of grave weakness. Our leaders need to take action today, blending defence and development, in order to com- plete Canada’s nation-building in this fragile region. With passion and sharp words, Arctic Front con- fronts Canada’s longstanding neglect of the Far North and outlines what needs to be done to protect our national interests. Thomas Allen Publishers ARCTIC FRONT Coates • Lackenbauer • Morrison • Poelzer ARCTIC FRONT Arctic sovereignty seems to be the zombie—the dead issue that refuses to stay dead—of Canadian public affairs. You think it’s settled, killed and buried, and then every decade or so it rises from the grave and totters into view again. In one decade it’s the DEW line, then it’s the American oil tanker Manhattan, steaming brazenly through the Northwest Passage, then the Polar Sea doing the same thing. In August 2007 a Russian subma- rine planted a flag at the North Pole. Or perhaps it was under the North Pole . . . However it was, they are up there, and the zombie has come to life once more. And the Russians aren’t the only ones. . . . When the passage was locked fast in ice for ten or eleven months of the year, no one much cared who owned it or the waters around it, or who went through it, and under what authority . . . . When these waters become freely navigable . . . Canada will face new challenges to its control over this part of the country. — from the Introduction non-fiction Thomas Allen Publishers www.thomas-allen.com isbn 10: 0-88762-355-7 isbn 13: 978-0-88762-355-4
Transcript of Arctic Front: Defending Canada in the Far North · ARCTIC FRONT DEFENDING CANADA IN THE FAR NORTH...
ARCTICFRONT
DEFENDING CANADAIN THE FAR NORTH
Ken S. Coates
P. Whitney Lackenbauer
William R. Morrison
Greg Poelzer
ARCTICFRONT
DEFENDING CANADAIN THE FAR NORTH
Ken S. Coates
P. Whitney Lackenbauer
William R. Morrison
Greg Poelzer
Ken S. Coates was raised in Whitehorse and has along-standing interest in northern themes. He haspublished widely, with many of his books aimed atgeneral audiences. Titles include Canada’s Colonies,The Sinking of the Princess Sophia (with Bill Morrison),The Modern North (with Judith Powell), North to Alaska(on the building of the Alaska Highway), and manyacademic books. He has worked on north-centredtelevision documentaries and served as a consultant tonorthern governments and organizations. He is cur-rently Professor of History and Dean of Arts, Univer-sity of Waterloo.
P. Whitney Lackenbauer is one of Canada’s leadingexperts on northern security and defence issues. Hehas travelled throughout the Arctic with the Cana-dian Rangers and has worked extensively on the his-tory of the DEW Line. His most recent book is BattleGrounds: The Canadian Military and Aboriginal Land.He is currently a Professor of History at St. Jerome’sUniversity, University of Waterloo.
William R. Morrison is recognized as Canada’s mostsenior historian of the Canadian North. His well-regarded book True North provides an overview his-tory of the Canadian North. He has published over adozen books, many with Ken Coates, including TheAlaska Highway in World War II, Land of the MidnightSun (a history of the Yukon), and Strange Things Done,a history of murder in the Yukon. He is currentlyProfessor of History, University of Northern BritishColumbia.
Greg Poelzer is a leading expert on circumpolar affairs and the politics of the modern North. He hasmany years of experience in Russia and Scandinavia andhas a long-standing interest in Arctic studies in Canada.He is also the founding Dean of Undergraduate Studiesfor the University of the Arctic, a consortium of 90northern universities and colleges that works collabora-tively to provide undergraduate and graduate educationto northerners. He is an Associate Professor of PoliticalScience, University of Saskatchewan.
jacket photos:norbert wu/getty (ship)istockphoto (bear)
Thomas Allen PublishersPrinted and bound in Canada
$29.95
ARCTIC FRONTA timely and provocative book about thehistory and future of the Canadian Arctic.
An energetic and engaging collaboration by four ofCanada’s leading Northern specialists, Arctic Front isa clarion call to all Canadians about our endangeredArctic region, challenging the country to step awayfrom the symbols and myth-making of the past andtoward the urgent political, environmental, and eco-nomic realities of the 21st century.
Through a lively and engaging history of the region, Arctic Front reveals how Canadians and theirgovernments have
• ignored this region for generations;
• expanded Canadian sovereignty over the pasthundred years by reacting to other countries’challenges, instead of proactively asserting ourauthority;
• become the least effective of all circumpolar nations in responding to the challenges andneeds of the Arctic, including a failure to capi-talize on the human and economic resources of this vast land;
• neglected to establish a presence in the Norththat would make any foreign claims to offshoreresources inconceivable.
As global warming continues to melt the ice in theNorthwest Passage and the competition for northernresources heats up, Canada, the authors warn, will beforced to defend this area from a position of graveweakness. Our leaders need to take action today,blending defence and development, in order to com-plete Canada’s nation-building in this fragile region.
With passion and sharp words, Arctic Front con-fronts Canada’s longstanding neglect of the Far Northand outlines what needs to be done to protect ournational interests.Thomas Allen
Publishers
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Lackenbauer
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ARCTIC FRONTArctic sovereignty seems to be the zombie—the dead issue that refuses to stay dead—of Canadian public affairs. You think it’s settled,killed and buried, and then every decade or so it rises from the graveand totters into view again.
In one decade it’s the DEW line, then it’s the American oil tankerManhattan, steaming brazenly through the Northwest Passage, thenthe Polar Sea doing the same thing. In August 2007 a Russian subma-rine planted a flag at the North Pole. Or perhaps it was under theNorth Pole . . . However it was, they are up there, and the zombie hascome to life once more. And the Russians aren’t the only ones. . . .
When the passage was locked fast in ice for ten or eleven monthsof the year, no one much cared who owned it or the waters around it,or who went through it, and under what authority. . . . When thesewaters become freely navigable . . . Canada will face new challengesto its control over this part of the country.
— from the Introduction
non-fiction
Thomas Allen Publisherswww.thomas-allen.com
ISBN 978-0-88762-355-4
isbn 10: 0-88762-355-7isbn 13: 978-0-88762-355-4
