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Russia Called; They Want Alaska Back
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Alaska: America's 49th state and the Last Frontier. The home of salmon, gold, oil, and many kinds of wildlife. And a potential place of origin for World War III. The northwestmost chunk of North America was largely uncolonized before Imperial Russia showed up in the early 1800s. By the 1850s, they realized their colony was unprofitable, hard to defend, and causing tension in their already strained relationship with Britain (which owned Canada), so were open to any reasonable opportunity to offload it. Russia and the United States being rather buddy-buddy in the '50s and '60s (the US had supported the Russians diplomatically during the Crimean War, and Russia had helped prevent the Confederacy from gaining European support during The American Civil Warnote by subtly threatening to engage Prussia (it's a long story, much of it to do with the Balkans, but suffice it to say Russia and Prussia were also on good terms in the days of Bismarck) in an attack on France and the UK should either recognize and assist the Confederacy), several negotiations were made over those decades, and a deal was finally struck in 1867. The US paid $2.4 million (equivalent to roughly 151 million in 2022 dollars) for the territory, named it Alaska (long a colloquial name for the region), and in 1959 it became the 49th state. Today, only a small minority of Alaskans have Russian ancestry. But what happens if the Russians with Rusting Rockets decide to renege on the deal? Looks like the next "Alaskan land rush" will be more about armies rushing to battle... Fiction has produced no shortage of works depicting this scenario. It gained popularity during the Cold War, when there was real fear of the Soviet Union invading. However, it has remained common in the post-Soviet era, usually with a resurgent Russia, or even some other enemy like China invading. This is because Alaska has many resources that are important for America (chiefly oil) and also occupies a strategic place with regards to control of Pacific travel, so it could be a tempting target for any enemy with the power to fight the Yanks with Tanks. In 1935, General Billy Mitchell testified before Congress about Alaska's importance, saying: "I believe that in the future, whoever holds Alaska will hold the world. I think it is the most important strategic place in the world." The reasons for the Russians invading will often vary depending on the work, but usually they are.... Genuinely trying to reconquer and reannex the state, Not actually trying to take Alaska back, but just trying to distract the U.S. military from a battle taking place elsewhere in the world (and maybe damage/destroy some of the important resources in the state while they're at it). Usually happens in World War III settings. Using Alaska as a "bridge" to invade the continental U.S. and Canada. More humorous works might have the combatants fighting over a fictional "deed" to Alaska left over from the original purchase. (Note: Such a deed doesn't exist in real life.) In Real Life, Alaska has only been invaded once, not by Russia, but by Imperial Japan during World War II, when they seized two Aleutian Islands as a means to protect the homeland from an American attack from the north. It didn't really work out; they were harassed heavily by American planes and ships from the mainland, expelled by an Ameri-Canadian response force after 14 months, and the eventual invasion of Japan came from the south side. Still, the blow to American morale from an invader occupying their land (which hadn't happened since 1812 before that) was well-noted, and many feared that the Japanese would advance further into Alaska or fly bombing missions against the lower 48. A Russian assault is very unlikely at present because it would almost certainly start a world war, provoking a response from not only America but her many allies, some of whom are quite close to Moscow. There's also the fact that both sides of the Bering Strait are severely lacking in the infrastructure needed to move and supply any invading force. The nearest Russian railhead is roughly 2,000 miles away,note There are proposals to connect Alaska and Siberia by rail via large bridges and/or undersea tunnels, but this would be a spectacularly expensive project. Particularly given the engineering challenges of building in such a cold climate. meaning any effort would be by sea, and the US Navy currently outclasses the Russian Navy, especially in the Pacific. So concerns or discussions of this happening in the real world are minor at the moment unless World War III breaks out over something else first. This is a sister trope to Mexico Called; They Want Texas Back, which also concerns a foreign power invading part of the US that they used to own. Like with Texas, this is also a localized version of Invaded States of America. Can also overlap with Russia Takes Over the World. Russia may act out of opportunism during a Second American Civil War. |
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| Russia Called; They Want Alaska Back / int_2af4f467 | type |
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An episode of G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero had a three-way fight for Alaska. Cobra discovers a (fictional) provision in the purchase treaty stating that whoever holds an artifact called the Seal of Alaska will legally own the land. The Russians were supposed to hand it over but the ship carrying it disappeared. The Joes, Cobra, and the Russian Oktober Guard (Russia's G.I. Joe) search the state for it. | |
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Muv-Luv Alternative: Total Eclipse features an Alaska that has been divided into American and Soviet sectors. Unusually for this trope, the division was the result of an agreement between the two countries after the majority of the Soviet Union was overrun by the BETA invasion. | |
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An episode of Stargate SG-1 deals with the American SGC trying to barter with the Russians for a necessary piece of Stargate technology the Russians had recovered. At one point, Colonel O'Neill (back in the SGC) is on the phone with Daniel Jackson (negotiating with a Russian general), and asks him if it looks they'll be getting the tech. Daniel replies "Not without giving them back Alaska." | |
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The Fallout series switched Russia with China, with the battle of Anchorage being the biggest clash before everything went nuclear. | |
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Red Dawn (1984) features an invasion of the United States by the Soviet Union, Cuba, and Nicaragua. Lt. Col. Tanner mentions the Soviets crossed the Bering Strait and invaded Alaska in an attempt to attack the continental U.S. from the North but were stopped at the Canadian border. The U.S. still has deal with invaders that came up from Mexico, however. | |
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Battlefield: Bad Company 2: Some multiplayer maps take place in Alaska. In the single-player campaign, the Russians invade Alaska and use it as a bridge into Canada and the continental U.S. The Battlefield 2 expansion Armored Fury features a Chinese invasion of Alaska, which is done in conjunction with the Middle Eastern Coalition invading the American East Coast. |
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The first episode of Sliders had them visiting a parallel world where the Soviet Union won the Cold War and invaded and occupied all of America. Alaska is home to some nasty gulags where political prisoners are sent. | |
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Terra Invicta: The Eurasian Union, a possible evolution of Russia, is able to claim Alaska in addition to mainland Europe and Central Asia. They might seize it through invasion or through a mutual Shadow Government's political manipulation. | |
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In the Cory in the House episode "Air Force One Too Many", Cory accidentally hands the deed to Alaska to the Russian Prime Minister when he puts it in his jacket pocket. The episode revolves around Cory and President Martinez attempting to get the deed back. Hilarity Ensues. | |
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Shattered Union features an America plunged into a Second Civil War following a nuclear terrorist attack on Washington, D.C. that kills the President and the entire line of succession. Russia, led by a ruthless dictator, invades Alaska and reannexes it claiming that it really belonged to them all along. It's eventually revealed that he was the mastermind of the civil war in the first place, wiping out the federal government and sowing unrest so that Russia would dominate. Once the player reunites the U.S., the final mission involves reclaiming Alaska from the Russians. | |
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