Feelgood Factor At Heart Of Moscow’S Arctic Mission

Although it will be a symbolic gesture and carries no legal weight, it is designed to send the West a clear message: Russia has shrugged off its post-cold war weakness and will be aggressively defending and pushing its national interests from now on. If it goes smoothly, the flag planting, reminiscent of the kind of propaganda coup beloved by the Soviets, will feed a rising state-orchestrated sense of patriotism and national pride. It will also be the beginning of what is likely to be a lengthy international struggle for the Arctic Ocean's riches, with Canada, Denmark, Norway, the United States and Russia all having competing interests in the hydrocarbon-stuffed area. The Russians have not been shy about their ambitions: "We are going to be the first to put a flag there, a Russian flag," expedition leader Artur Chilingarov said, before setting off from the Russian port of Murmansk. "The Arctic is ours and we should demonstrate our presence." http://www.sundayherald.com/international/shinternational/display.var.1580533.0.0.php [Proofreader's note: this article was edited for spelling and typos on August 1, 2007]

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