Will WWIII Be Over Arctic Oil?

In 2014, Russia officially filed documents to make claim of the Arctic waters and land in order to secure the Arctic oil. Russian officials celebrated the plans as another space race or new Cold War.

This past fall, Vladimir Putin deployed thousands of Russian ground troops into the Arctic. To most of the world, this move might seem simply like a strategic shift north of Europe, but why put so many men so far away? Although not a single politician or world leader has specifically mentioned the possibility of World War 3 over Arctic oil drilling, many experts feel long term economic pressures may be the driver for war.

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In a related report by the Inquisitr, Wladimir Klitschko of Ukraine claims Vladimir Putin will start World War 3, and already Russia’s nuclear weapons are being positioned in both Crimea and in-between eastern European nations. But Ron Paul claims U.S. intervention in Ukraine by the Obama administration is responsible for jumpstarting the World War 3 fears in the first place.

Why could Arctic oil drilling cause World War 3? At first glance, it sounds as absurd as saying the polar bears are threatening WW3 over man-made global warming. But in recent times, scientists have come to believe Arctic oil drilling may represent a second middle east, with oil and gas reserves estimated to represent between 17 and 30 percent of the global total. As an example, an older 2008 U.S. Geological Survey assessment claims there are a minimum of 90 billion barrels of oil and 44 billion barrels of natural gas liquids.

Due to this fact, already multiple nations are positioning themselves around the disputed territory. In 2014, Russia officially filed documents to make claim of the Arctic waters and land in order to secure the Arctic oil. Russian officials celebrated the plans as another space race or new Cold War. As recently as 2013, Vladimir Putin seemed to indicate he believed all of the Arctic was unofficially part of Russia already.

“The Arctic is, unconditionally, an integral part of the Russian Federation that has been under our sovereignty for several centuries,” Putin said at the time, according to Al Jazeera. “It will remain such for the times to come.”

The Russian military also indicated they were preparing for any potential invaders.

“In 2015, we will be almost fully prepared to meet unwelcome guests from east and north,” Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said.