scholarly journals Ice-Breaking Fleets of the United States and Canada: Assessing the Current State of Affairs and Future Plans

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 703
Author(s):  
Megan Drewniak ◽  
Dimitrios Dalaklis ◽  
Anastasia Christodoulou ◽  
Rebecca Sheehan

In recent years, a continuous decline of ice-coverage in the Arctic has been recorded, but these high latitudes are still dominated by earth’s polar ice cap. Therefore, safe and sustainable shipping operations in this still frozen region have as a precondition the availability of ice-breaking support. The analysis in hand provides an assessment of the United States’ and Canada’s polar ice-breaking program with the purpose of examining to what extent these countries’ relevant resources are able to meet the facilitated growth of industrial interests in the High North. This assessment will specifically focus on the maritime transportation sector along the Northwest Passage and consists of four main sections. The first provides a very brief description of the main Arctic passages. The second section specifically explores the current situation of the Northwest Passage, including the relevant navigational challenges, lack of infrastructure, available routes that may be used for transit, potential choke points, and current state of vessel activity along these routes. The third one examines the economic viability of the Northwest Passage compared to that of the Panama Canal; the fourth and final section is investigating the current and future capabilities of the United States’ and Canada’s ice-breaking fleet. Unfortunately, both countries were found to be lacking the necessary assets with ice-breaking capabilities and will need to accelerate their efforts in order to effectively respond to the growing needs of the Arctic. The total number of available ice-breaking assets is impacting negatively the level of support by the marine transportation system of both the United States and Canada; these two countries are facing the possibility to be unable to effectively meet the expected future needs because of the lengthy acquisition and production process required for new ice-breaking fleets.

Logistics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 23
Author(s):  
Rebecca Sheehan ◽  
Dimitrios Dalaklis ◽  
Anastasia Christodoulou ◽  
Megan Drewniak ◽  
Peter Raneri ◽  
...  

The analysis in hand provides a brief assessment of the United States’ and Canada’s marine transportation system and relevant search and rescue (SAR) support in relation to the Northwest Passage, with the purpose of examining to what extent these countries’ relevant infrastructure resources are able to meet the expected growth of shipping operations and business activities in the Arctic. Through an extensive literature review, this assessment will specifically describe the most important influences upon the maritime transportation system, with the issue of certain geographical details and the capabilities of existing ports standing out. Additionally, vessel activity trends and vessel traffic routing measure initiatives will be examined. Furthermore, the SAR infrastructure details and means to render assistance to people in distress along the Northwest Passage will be discussed. The reality remains that port characteristics are limited and vessel traffic routing measure initiatives and upgrades to SAR assets are commendable but slow-paced. It is true that both the United States and Canada are taking proper measures to build up infrastructure needs, but they both may run out of time to put adequate infrastructure in place to deal effectively with the changing environment.


Author(s):  
Lech J. Janczewski ◽  
Andrew M. Colarik

The current state of the information security domain in the United States and much of the rest of the industrialized world can best be characterized as overly optimistic. The protection of computing systems and telecommunication infrastructures from unauthorized usage, manipulation, and sabotage faces serious challenges to ensure ongoing serviceability. This is especially true when we consider our growing dependence on these infrastructures. The state of affairs regarding the security aspects of these systems is even worse. Peter G. Neumann of the Computer Science Laboratory at SRI International in Menlo Park, California states:


AJIL Unbound ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 114 ◽  
pp. 255-259
Author(s):  
Reuven S. Avi-Yonah

This essay addresses the interaction between the changes in the international tax regime identified by Mason and U.S. international tax policy. Specifically, I will argue that contrary to the general view, the United States actively implemented the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD)/G20 Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) recommendations through the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (TCJA). Moreover, the changes of the TCJA influenced the current OECD effort of BEPS 2.0. Thus, the current state of affairs can be characterized as a constructive dialogue: The OECD moves (BEPS 1), the United States responds (TCJA), the OECD moves again (BEPS 2). If the international tax regime is to survive, it is important that BEPS 2 will succeed, and that the US will then go along and amend the TCJA accordingly. From this kind of positive dialectic, a new international tax regime fit for the twenty-first century may emerge.


2017 ◽  
Vol 671 (1) ◽  
pp. 184-201 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Shireman

The idea of financing higher education with the income that comes afterward has been formally proposed and implemented in the United States, in various permutations, since at least 1971. The attractiveness of the concept is exemplified by the political diversity of its proponents, ranging from Senator Ted Kennedy to President Ronald Reagan, and from presidential candidates Michael Dukakis (Democratic governor who ran in 1988) to Jeb Bush (Republican former governor who ran in 2016). This article examines the design of the various proposals over time, the arguments in support and opposition, and the current state of affairs.


2009 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 12-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lemmietta McNeilly

Abstract The utilization of speech-language pathology assistants (SLPAs) is increasing in the United States particularly in the public schools. The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association provides specific guidelines regarding the training, use, and supervision of (SLPAs; ASHA, 2004). The current state of affairs of SLPAs involves variable requirements across the states to qualify for SLPA credentials. The programs that educate SLPAs have variable technical and curricular requirements, and the educational requirements for regulating SLPAs also vary across the states. School-based SLPs continue to raise questions about the supervision requirements, funding, and reimbursement issues for working with SLPA in schools across the country.


2019 ◽  
pp. 24-43
Author(s):  
Charles Gardner Geyh

Chapter 2 places the current state of affairs in context, with a short history of judicial selection in the United States, touching on the five distinct methods of judicial selection that have evolved over time. It begins by discussing colonial rule and gubernatorial appointments, then moves to early statehood and legislative appointments. The Age of Jackson is then examined, in particular Jacksonian democracy and its aftermath, which saw the rise of partisan judicial elections. The chapter then discusses how the Populist-Progressive era ushered in the advent of nonpartisan and recall elections. Finally, it describes the merit selection movement in the twentieth century before concluding that in the modern era, the American judiciary has undergone a political transformation that has placed increasing emphasis on constraining independence and enhancing political control.


2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-88
Author(s):  
Donald R. Rothwell

AbstractArctic Ocean shipping is on the brink of becoming a critical legal, geopolitical and security issue as a result of the impacts of climate change and increased interest in the Arctic Ocean from States that traditionally did not operate within the region. The law of the sea throughunclosprovides the key legal framework for the regulation of Arctic Ocean shipping, supplemented and extended by relatedimoconventions and national laws and regulations. This framework has been relied upon by the two major North American Arctic States – Canada and the United States – to develop the legal regime for the Northwest Passage and the Bering Strait. There have been historic disagreements between Canada and the United States with respect to the Northwest Passage, and while not resolved they have to date been managed through legal and political responses. Other straits may become more strategically significant as a result of climate change, including Nares Strait between Canada and Greenland.eezand high seas Arctic Ocean navigation by foreign flagged vessels also needs to be anticipated. Multiple issues are raised with respect to maritime security and the adequacy of the existing legal regime, including how Canada and the United States will respond to interest being expressed in Arctic shipping by Asian States such as China.


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