North Pole In Colonial Crosshairs

The nations with a claim to stake in the Arctic are watching warily as Russia makes the first exploration of the sea bed under the ice of the North Pole -- a bold move into territory that had been among the last dark spots on humankind's map of the world.

That territory, thanks to global warming, is opening up -- and countries with imperial intentions have their eyes on the natural resources that inhabit the region. It might be said that the world hasn't seen an era of exploration like this, on this planet, in a century, when a sudden interest in Africa led to colonial exploitation there.

New stocks of fish, new shipping routes and, of course, abundant oil deposits -- possibly as much as one quarter of the world's reserves. All these are driving nations with territory bordering the Arctic -- Russia, Canada, the USA, Norway and Denmark -- to stake claims and angle for dominance at the summit of the world.

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