AS the Arctic melts, the geopolitics of the region heats up. According to a 2012 Nasa study, the Arctic Ocean has seen a “steady and dramatic decline” in its ice cover over the last three decades…. The disappearance of the ice has allowed something Arctic explorers could only dream about — the gradual opening of the Northwest Passage as a sea route linking Asia and the West.

This has considerable consequence for Canada’s claims of sovereign authority over much of the Arctic archipelago, which until now has depended on Canada’s ostensible “historic rights”. The problem is that in the not-too-distant future other nations may not regard “history” as sufficient grounds for jurisdictional authority. What is to be done? Well, first and most obviously, Canada has to be able to back up its claims with a realpolitik presence — governmental, cultural, economic and, not to be neglected, military. …

That doesn’t mean forgoing the diplomatic necessities. Canada needs to use its two-year chairmanship of the eight-nation International Arctic Council to assert in no uncertain terms that it will not brook attempts to dilute its Arctic sovereignty. The federal government says Arctic sovereignty is a priority … Historically, the Arctic’s remoteness and harsh climate provided Canadians with the luxury of a northern security buffer that allowed them to largely regard the region as a resource depot. This negligence is no longer tenable. The geopolitics of the Arctic melt requires Canada to join the Great Game. We either play the game, and play it well, or our nation will be the pawn of more assertive powers.—(May 17)