Melting Relations: The Evolving Canadian-American Arctic Partnership—Disputes, Challenges, and Opportunities

The paper surveys the general state and changing nature of Canadian–American relations with respect to Arctic issues, and outlines areas of dispute that have arisen from the mid-19th century to the present. It traces the nature of disagreements to differences in perspective concerning the Arctic in the two countries, their differing roles in the international community, and the driving force exerted by external conditions, specifically climate change and resource development. Special attention is devoted to the most significant challenge to current U.S.–Canadian relations, the navigation regime in the Northwest Passage.