It began in early August when two Russian mini-submarines planted a rust-proof titanium flag on the seabed 14,000 feet below the North Pole. The act was presented in Russia as a “heroic mission”. “This is like placing a flag on the moon,” a spokesman for Russia’s Arctic and Antarctic Institute told Reuters.

Others were rather more scathing. “This isn’t the 15th century,” declared Canadian foreign minister Peter MacKay. “You can’t go around the world and just plant flags and say: ‘We’re claiming this territory.’”

However, little more than a week later, the Canadians were playing the same game. Canadian prime minister Stephen Harper was dragged away from holiday plans to undertake a three-day tour of his own country’s arctic region. Although he packed no metal flag, the aim of his trip was no less driven by territorial claims. “Canada has taken its sovereignty too lightly for too long,” Harper said. “This government has put a big emphasis on reinforcing, on strengthening our sovereignty in the Arctic.”

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