The Bering Strait Crossing

A 21st Century Frontier between East and West

• Author(s): James Oliver,
• Publisher: Information Architects
• Pages: 150
• ISBN_10: 0954699564
  ISBN_13: 9780954699567
  
• Language: en
• Categories: History / United States / State & Local / West (AK, CA, CO, HI, ID, MT, NV, UT, WY) , History / Expeditions & Discoveries , History / Historical Geography , Political Science / International Relations / General , Political Science / Globalization ,

Description:...

The Bering Strait Crossing is the epic story of the Intercontinental Divide. The ancient waterway - when the fog clears over the Diomede Islands - is among the world’s most stunning vistas. This is where the 53-mile wide strait, named for Danish explorer Vitus Bering (1681-1741), separates four continents across the Europe-Asia landmass and the Americas.  Extremes of climate, isolation, and geopolitical tension have all interfaced to create the perception of a frozen limbo at the edge of the world. Yet the Bering Strait is the world’s geographical crossroads - linking East with West - for nowhere else on the globe is it possible to cross the Pacific Rim between Asia and the Americas.

In the modern era, various schemes have been proposed - rail, ferry, tunnel - by which to cross the strait. Since the end of the Cold War, a scheduled air service has been in place. The strait remains undefeated in terms of a terrestrial link between the USA and Russia - so far. 

The author uncovers a world-shaping revelation: that the Bering Strait has the potential to become a global shipping nexus via the Northwest Passage and the Northern Sea Route between Europe, North America, and Asia.

The self-induced amnesia of the long Cold War years is yielding to a fresh outlook between East and West across the strait. In a world thirsty for energy resources and trade, the prospect for US-Russian cooperation across the northern Pacific Rim is tantalising in its multiplicity - and vastness - with profound implications for the global economy. In this  twenty first century, the Beringia corridors (N-S, E-W) have the potential to unite the world.