Impi yase-Ukraine iphoqe iNtshonalanga ukuthi iguqule ngokwezombangazwe nakwezempi ukuthi ibhekane neqiniso elisha neRussia, kodwa asikwazi ukungazinaki amathuba iChina enawo manje e-Arctic.Izijeziso ezinzima ezibhekiswe eRussia zibe nomthelela omubi ohlelweni lwayo lwamabhange, umkhakha wezamandla kanye nokufinyelela kubuchwepheshe obubalulekile.Izijeziso zanqamula iRussia emazweni aseNtshonalanga futhi zingabaphoqa ukuthi bathembele eChina ukugwema ukuwa komnotho.Nakuba i-Beijing ingazuza ngezindlela eziningi, i-United States ayikwazi ukuziba umthelela we-Northern Sea Route (NSR) ekuvikelekeni kwamazwe ngamazwe.
Itholakala ogwini lwase-Arctic eRussia, i-NSR ingaba umzila omkhulu wasolwandle oxhumanisa i-Asia neYurophu.I-NSR yonge ukusuka kumamayela angu-1 ukuya kwangu-3,000 eStrait of Malacca kanye naseSuez Canal.Ubukhulu balokhu kongiwa bufana nokwenyuka kwezindiza okubangelwa i-Ever Given grounding, ephazamise amaketanga amakhulu okuhlinzekwa kwempahla kanye nezomnotho emazwenikazi amaningana.Njengamanje, iRussia ingagcina i-NSR isebenza cishe izinyanga eziyisishiyagalolunye zonyaka, kodwa bathi bahlose ukufeza ithrafikhi yonyaka wonke ngo-2024. Njengoba iNyakatho Ekude ishisa, ukuthembela ku-NSR nakweminye imizila yase-Arctic kuzokwanda kuphela.Nakuba unswinyo lwaseNtshonalanga manje lusongela ukuthuthukiswa koMzila Wasolwandle OseNyakatho, iChina isikulungele ukusebenzisa leli thuba.
I-China inezintshisekelo ezicacile zezomnotho namasu e-Arctic.Ngokwezomnotho, bafuna ukusebenzisa imizila yasolwandle edlula i-Arctic futhi baqhamuke nesinyathelo se-Polar Silk Road, esichaza ngokucacile izinhloso zabo zokuthonya ukuthuthukiswa kwe-Arctic.Ngobuchule, i-China ifuna ukukhulisa ithonya layo olwandle njengamandla asondelene nontanga, ngisho nokusho ukuthi “izwe elingaphansi kwe-subbarctic” ukuze lithethelele izithakazelo zalo ezingaphezu kuka-66°30′N.NgoNovemba 2021, iChina yamemezela izinhlelo zokwakha umkhumbi wesithathu ophihliza iqhwa neminye imikhumbi eyenzelwe ukusiza iRussia ukuthi ihlole i-Arctic, kanti uMongameli uXi Jinping kanye noMongameli uVladimir Putin bathe bahlela “ukuvuselela” ukubambisana kwe-Arctic ngoFebhuwari 2022.
Manje njengoba iMoscow ibuthakathaka futhi iphelelwe yithemba, iBeijing ingathatha isinyathelo futhi isebenzise i-NSR yaseRussia.Ngenkathi iRussia inemikhumbi ephihliza iqhwa engaphezu kuka-40, lezo ezihleliwe noma ezisakhiwayo njengamanje, kanye nezinye izingqalasizinda ezibucayi zase-Arctic, zingaba sengcupheni yonswinyo lwaseNtshonalanga.I-Russia izodinga ukwesekwa okwengeziwe okuvela e-China ukuze igcine Umzila Wasolwandle OseNyakatho nezinye izintshisekelo zezwe.I-China yayingakwazi-ke ukuzuza ekufinyeleleni mahhala futhi mhlawumbe namalungelo akhethekile okusiza ekusebenzeni nasekugcinweni kwe-NSR.Kungenzeka futhi ukuthi iRussia engayodwa unomphela izobaluleka futhi iyidinge kakhulu i-Arctic ally kangangokuthi izonikeza iChina ingxenye encane yendawo ye-Arctic, ngaleyo ndlela yenza kube lula ubulungu eMkhandlwini wase-Arctic.Amazwe amabili abeka engcupheni enkulu ekuhlelekeni kwamazwe ngamazwe okusekelwe emithethweni azobe engahlukaniseki empini ewujuqu olwandle.
Ukuze ihambisane nalezi zinto ezingokoqobo futhi ibhekane nekhono laseRussia nelaseShayina, i-United States kufanele yandise ukusebenzisana kwayo nabalingani bethu base-Arctic, kanye namandla ayo.Emazweni ayisishiyagalombili ase-Arctic, amahlanu angamalungu e-NATO, futhi wonke ngaphandle kweRussia angabambisene nathi.I-United States kanye nabalingani bethu basenyakatho kufanele baqinise ukuzibophezela kwethu kanye nokuba khona ngokuhlanganyela e-Arctic ukuvimbela i-Russia ne-China ekubeni abaholi eNyakatho Ephakeme.Okwesibili, i-United States kumele iqhubeke yandise amandla ayo e-Arctic.Nakuba i-US Coast Guard inezinhlelo zesikhathi eside zemikhumbi ye-polar eqaphayo enzima engu-3 kanye nemikhumbi emi-3 egada e-arctic ephakathi nendawo, lesi sibalo sidinga ukunyuswa futhi ukukhiqizwa kusheshiswe.Amandla okulwa asezingeni eliphezulu e-Coast Guard kanye ne-US Navy kumele anwetshwe.Okokugcina, ukuze siqhubekisele phambili intuthuko enomthwalo wemfanelo e-Arctic, kufanele silungiselele futhi sivikele amanzi ethu e-Arctic ngokucwaninga nokutshala imali.Njengoba i-United States kanye nabalingani bethu bazijwayelanisa namaqiniso amasha omhlaba, manje kunanini ngaphambili kufanele sichaze kabusha futhi siqinise izibopho zethu e-Arctic.
ULieutenant (JG) Nidbala uthweswe iziqu ngo-2019 e-United States Coast Guard Academy.Ngemva kokuphothula iziqu, wasebenza njengesikhulu sewashi ne-CGC Escanaba (WMEC-907) iminyaka emibili futhi okwamanje ukhonza ne-CGC Donald Horsley (WPC-1117), itheku lasekhaya laseSan Juan, ePuerto Rico.
Isikhathi sokuthumela: Dec-20-2022