India and China in the Arctic
The Xue Long, a Chinese icebreaker (Xinhua)
Geopolitics manifests itself when strategic and commercial interests clash between two competing powers. But mutual economic interests can also have a balming effect on strained relations between two nations with historical animosities. Inter-dependence calls for hostilities to be moderated. Norman Angell wrote that globalization would lead to the end of war, but Alfred Mahan warned that commerce can deter war and also trigger conflicts. Economics can be overwhelmed by national security concerns and domestic political priorities when dissonance reaches a boiling point. In this strange interplay of geopolitics and economics, let’s trace the moves of India and China into the world’s last strategic frontier.