The melting ice that will open up new trade routes near the Arctic Circle is well on the way to creating a new version (and region) of the cold war. And in this version, China has a stake as well. The spies and intrigue were in place before the ice broke, and the whole region is being shaken and stirred. WaPo (Gift Article): An Arctic ‘Great Game’ as NATO allies and Russia face off in far north. “The war in Ukraine and the dramatic deterioration of Western relations with Moscow have put the frostbitten borderlands between Norway and Russia on heightened alert, while increasing the geostrategic importance of the Arctic.”