Arctic's thawing seas may bring new security risks

NATO commanders and lawmakers from alliance nations were gathering yesterday to examine the risks posed by the thawing Arctic Circle and the prospect of standoffs among nations rushing to lay claim to the energy reserves there.

The possibility of new shipping routes through once-frozen regions threatens to complicate already delicate relations between countries with competing claims to Arctic territory - particularly as previously inaccessible areas open to exploration for their abundant reserves of oil and natural gas.

The US, Russia, Canada, Britain and several northern nations are all attempting to claim jurisdiction over Arctic territory.