The U.S. is apparently still disputing its borders with Canada -- only the current dispute has nothing to do with post-American Revolution cartography or Great Lakes ports of entry. These days its over where Alaska's Beaufort Sea ends and where Canada begins, according to a study called "Rethinking the Top of the World: Arctic Security Public Opinion Survey." The Houston, Tex. website RIGZONE cites the University of Toronto study and the conclusion reached by its sponsor, the Munk School of Global Affairs: Americans are more willing to compromise over the Beaufort Sea border dispute than their Canadian counterparts. The alleged dispute involves "a wedge-shaped slice of 8,100 square miles on the international boundary in the Beaufort Sea between Yukon and Alaska. Canada claims the maritime boundary runs along the 141 meridian west out to 230 miles following the Alaska-Yukon land border. The U.S. asserts that the boundary line is perpendicular to the coast out the 230 miles following a line of equidistance from the coast." RIGZONE notes that the Beaufort is "believed" to hold significant oil and gas resource wealth. Respondents were also asked how they thought Arctic and circumpolar nations should settle border and resource-sharing disputes. Canadians apparently were split between maintaining a hawkish foreign policy over its Arctic boundaries and settling disputes through an international council or an NGO. European nations favored the idea of creating an "international territory like Antarctica." The study claims a plurality of U.S. respondents were undecided on the issue but that there was "moderate support" for a compromise or international territory. Download the study (PDF).
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