Abandoning UNCLOS framework in Arctic could lead to military confrontation with Russia, working within framework best way to resolve disputes

Russia has staked its claim in the Arctic by symbolically planting a flag at the bottom of the North Pole and submitting an extended continental shelf claim to UNCLOS.219 The Kremlin has also established Russia's economic interest in the Arctic by describing the Arctic as "'capable in large part of fulfilling Russia's needs for hydrocarbon resources, aqueous biological resources, and other forms of strategic raw material."'220 Abandoning UNCLOS would only invite confrontation and possibly trigger Russian acts of aggression against other Arctic nations. Russia's attack on Georgia in August 2008 illustrates this very real possibility. Tension between Russia and other Arctic nations will remain high as they continue to compete for Arctic territory. Maintaining UNCLOS as a viable legal framework for settling Arctic territorial claims should help avert potential confrontations between Russia and other UNCLOS members.222 At least UNCLOS provides its members an alternative to Russia's "newfound assertiveness and heavy-handed conduct,"223 and should therefore remain firmly in place.