In August 2007, the world reacted with consternation as Russia planted a flag beneath the ice of the North Pole, symbolizing the Kremlin's claim to the Arctic with its vast mineral resources, and firing the starting gun on the world's last colonial scramble. With the map literally being redrawn by global warming, the ownership of the Arctic will be one of the defining issues of the next decade.

Includes index.

Human settlement of the Arctic -- Ownership -- Exploitation : Arctic species as the target -- International law in the Arctic -- Exploitation : the second wave -- The future -- Appendix I: The Svalbard treaty (1920) -- Appendix 2: The Antarctic treaty (1959) -- Appendix 3: The international agreement on the conservation of polar bears and their habitat (1976).