Melting ice starts a power struggle as shipping routes get unblocked

The Arctic is emerging as a potential geopolitical flashpoint for the US, Russia and China as shipping routes get unblocked

Melting ice is opening access to new energy resources faster than predicted, prompting a nascent great power struggle in the Arctic as the political and economic map of the world is transformed.

That, at least, is one picture that’s being sharply drawn at this weekend’s Arctic Circle Assembly in Iceland, a kind of Davos for the far north. The seven-year-old event is the largest annual forum for politicians, scientists, environmentalists and others to talk about the Arctic, including climate change, security and the exploitation of new oil and gas discoveries.

US Energy Secretary Rick Perry called for “free nations” to resist attempts