Sunday, September 21, 2014
Russian fighter jets enter Canadian airspace.
Comment on the following news article if you wish -
you may tie this into the greater issue of sovereignty.
i.e. who owns what land, air, ocean. What threats are posed by this? Is it intentional?
http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/09/19/norad-jets-intercept-a-total-of-eight-russian-military-planes-that-neared-restricted-space/
This is my weekly post...
ReplyDeleteIn the past week Canadian and U.S. forces were busy intercepting Russian fighter planes over the arctic. Although the Russians didn't actually enter Canadian territory it still sends a message. Through more research I have found that this actually is not abnormal. Lt. Col. Michael Jazdyk is a spokesperson for NORAD and he stated Canadian or American fighters have intercepted some 50 Russian planes over the last five years. (1.) Since the cold war ended things have mostly settled down between North America and Russia. But you can't help but wonder about the day the Russian fighter jets don't stop, and take offensive action in North American airspace.
It is also remains clear what side Canada is on about the Russia vs. Ukraine issue. A few months ago, when the crisis started Prime Minister Stephen Harper was one of the first to give his opinions and strategies on the matter moving forward. (2.) Now is that why Russian forces decided to "flex their muscles" this week? Another possible question is why is this story bigger news than all of the other Russian threats to North American airspace? This seems like we have some information missing, not trying to stir up any government conspiracies however it seems like the Russian fighters come over a lot, but for what reason? Do they actually want to get in or are they using this as a scare tactic? I believe this may have made news either because of the time of the threat (with growing tensions in Ukraine) or if the Russians got closer than they ever have in recent months/years.
The bottom line is there is something to be said about the reason for these "tests" and what NORAD would actually command North American fighter jets to do if the Russians tried to blow past them. Would the government actually risk shooting them down? If they did end up shooting and killing Russians we could see a replay of the cold war on the horizon, and those were very scary times. Another question to be asked is why Russians are going to the Arctic, is it the oil? I managed to do some research on what is located in the Arctic that is very appealing to both Harper and Vlad Putin.(3.) Oil is the hidden treasure we seem to be going for, and it could be a race to get it. The biggest question from the recent events executed by Russia, is what happens if the Russians dare I say "set up shop" in oil regions or the Arctic?
Sources:
1. http://globalnews.ca/news/1573811/canadian-and-u-s-jets-intercepted-russian-planes-over-arctic-norad/
2.http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/06/21/prime-minister-stephen-harper-announces-more-russian-sanctions-over-crisis-in-ukraine/
3.http://motherboard.vice.com/read/canada-and-russias-race-for-arctic-oil-is-heating-up
Other research articles:
http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/09/19/norad-jets-intercept-a-total-of-eight-russian-military-planes-that-neared-restricted-space/
http://news.yahoo.com/us-canadian-jets-intercept-8-russian-aircraft-232846452.html
It is possible that this is a sign of aggression but personally I think Russia has enough on its plate. To create a conflict with Canada (a fellow NATO nation) could be dangerous. Russian planes flying over Canada is not uncommon, in fact around 50 were intercepted over the last 5 years (source 1). Wether this puts worries of invasion to rest or makes it more threatening is open for discussion.
Deletehttp://m.huffpost.com/ca/entry/5852930
I thought you had some really interesting and insightful points; mostly focusing on your comments about the "Oil Race" currently being contended between the United States and Russia, mostly involving the Arctic. I couldn't help but notice, however, that Russia and the Arctic lie on almost the same latitude - leading me to consider whether it could just be flight tests bringing them around the globe and skirting Canadian airspace. From what I've read, they don't actually seem hostile or encroaching upon the Canadian-held space, and they seem to be moving too fast for any type of in-depth reconnaissance to be taking place. It does lead me to wonder, however, why they're actually there. I'll definitely be keeping my eye on the issue.
DeleteTaking into consideration that Canada is clearly not siding with Russia on its current conflict with Ukraine, it is most likely a big contributor to the sudden flight routes of the Russian's near Canadian airspace.This is one of many conflict's going on today, it seems all the major powers such as America, Canada, Russia, China, Korea and the Middle East all have major conflicting issues with each other, do you think we could be on the verge of another World War? With ISIS threatening the Unites States, Russia messing with Canada's air space, the uneasy tensions between China and the United States, the U.S and its nuclear submarines in "Canadian waters" (as Canadians would say), do you see a pattern? The worlds most powerful nation is making enemies by day, it is nothing less than a matter of time before something sparks a major global tragedy.
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ReplyDeleteMy weekly post....
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the article from the National Post, the first thing that comes to mind is why ? Why is Russia flying their planes so close to Canadian airspace that they are in the area called "the Air Defence Identification Zone" as mentioned in the article. Even though this airspace is still international it is close enough to Canadian airspace there is the need to check it out. This what I don't understand, Russia should be very aware of the air defence identification (a.k.a ADIZ) zone as many countries have it including U.S, China and Japan, so why cause the conflict knowing they are going to be intercepted (1).
This latest incident with Russian aircraft being intercepted comes at the time of the meetings between Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and United States of America President Barack Obama and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper (2). This also makes one wonder if this was planned to show Russian muscle. It is not an unknown fact that Russia at this time can't be trusted. NATO secretary general, Anders Fogh Rasmussen has even said that Russia can't be trusted when talking about "Guarantees given by Russia about sovereignty and integrity”(3).
Russia & Putin have made it clear that that they are not shy, just look at the Ukraine/Crimea situation. Russia invade the Crimea and took it over as Putin and Russia see it as a very valuable naval port as it is in a very strategical location (4). Russia proved in the swift overtaking of the Crimea that if they want something they are going to try and take it. Canada should be cautious with flying of Russian aircraft so close to home, especially when its in fleets that have IL-78 refueling tankers, two Mig-31 fighter jets and two Bear long-range bombers (5). Canada has valuable land in the north and the U.S. has valuable land being Alaska which already has a past for conflict between America and Russia. If Russia decides that that they want certain land, they have already proved that they are willing to take it and do not care.
I think that this is something the NATO, the Canadian and American governments need to watch closely as there is the possibility of something happening if Putin decides it.
1. http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/140367/david-a-welch/whats-an-adiz
2. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2763056/US-Canadian-jets-intercept-8-Russian-aircraft.html
3. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-05-16/russia-can-t-be-trusted-over-ukraine-nato-chief-says.html
4. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/ukraine-crisis-why-is-crimea-so-important-to-russia-9166447.html
5. http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/09/19/norad-jets-intercept-a-total-of-eight-russian-military-planes-that-neared-restricted-space/
I think you have brought up an interesting perspective on the situation by asking why has Russia, knowingly, entered into Canadian airspace. But it is not uncommon for this to happen. Canada regularly has Russian flights in their airspace and because Russia really is close to Canada in that direction I don't think that Canada needs to be that concerned with these flights to much. But you did bring up the idea that they were there to 'show muscle' which could a likely reason, in that case, again considering how close we are to Russia, it might be something Canada needs to look into more closely.
Deletehttp://m.huffpost.com/ca/entry/5852930
This is my weekly post...
ReplyDeleteCanadian and U.S. officials reported the interception of multiple Russian fighter jets that entered Canadian airspace in the middle of September, which has caused many to be questioning the motifs behind the "intrusion". Although they never flew directly through sovereign territory, it is reported they were flying in the U.S. and Canadian Air Defense Identification Zone which extends beyond that(Source 1). After researching further, I found more examples of aircraft entering foreign airspace, and this particular experience between North America and Russia, is not rare, and according to the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), similar situations have occured more than 50 times in the past five years (Source 2).
I'm wondering why it occurs so much, and why there are Russian aircraft flying near our airspace so often. I think the potential threats that this situation poses could be taken seriously by some, considering the severe conflict that occured in the past between the same two nations. However, the spokesmen for NORAD stated "We do not see these flights as a threat"(Source 3). He also says that they closely monitor foreign aircraft in the area and always check to make sure that there is no potential threat caused by someone nearing or entering the North American airspace (Source 4). This makes me wonder whether the interceptions were an attempt by the Russians to be used as an intimidation factor, or if something bigger is going on that we ar unaware of between governments.
As mentioned by Peter, one of the main competitions between Vladimir Putin and Stephen Harper seem to be the race for the arctic oil. Considering the location of where the interception of the Russian planes took place, it could possibly have something to do with this search. This could be the most accurate solution to the recent interceptions, because of the fact that the arctic currently holds a potential 90 billion barrels full of oil. Surrounding this gold mine are some of the op oil consumers in the world, Canada and Russia(Source 5). To have the Russians monitoring Canadian actions in the arctic would explain the multiple aircraft seen in that general area, especially when it comes down to who gets the oil first.
Source 1: http://www.cnn.com/2014/09/19/us/russian-plane-incidents/index.html
Source 2: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/canadian-fighter-jets-intercept-russian- bombers-in-arctic-1.2772440
Source 3: https://uk.news.yahoo.com/us-air-force-fighter-jets-scrambled-russian-planes- 165355628.html#EHitXgi
Source 4: http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/09/19/norad-jets-intercept-a-total-of-eight- russian-military-planes-that-neared-restricted-space/
Source 5: http://motherboard.vice.com/read/canada-and-russias-race-for-arctic-oil-is- heating-up
Awesome post, Sarah Jane!
ReplyDeleteI like how you mentioned the oil conflict, I had not thought of that before. In your opinion, do you think this is a conflict that could be resolved peacefully? Previous wars, like the one of America and Iraq, have been fought over oil.