Summary

Chapter 1," Cold Rush," discusses the controversy over who owns and who can have use of the Northwest Passage, which is the sea route through the Arctic Ocean. The Passage connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. While Canada owns the land on both sides of the passage, the United States and most of the world do not agree that Canada owns the waterway itself. It is considered to be an international strait. Previously, the waterway was difficult to navigate because of thick ice. However, as climate change has progressed, the ice has continued to melt, making it an increasingly attractive shipping route. The author centers this chapter around his description of a Canadian military exercise in which he participated, along with a number of military personnel, government dignitaries, and other journalists. The exercise was a mock interdiction in which three observation posts were...