The document summarizes the ongoing dispute between Canada and the United States over sovereignty in the Northwest Passage. Canada claims the passage as internal waters based on its historical ties to the area and governance of the Inuit people. The United States views the passage as an international strait. Climate change has made the passage more accessible, increasing interests in its resources and shipping routes. Security concerns as the passage becomes more trafficked are also driving the ongoing discussions between the two countries over its legal status.

1. THE NORTHWEST PASSAGE:
U.S. AND CANADA
BY JAMES LEE

2. WHERE IS THE NORTHWEST PASSAGE?
Here!
Image retrieved from libweb5.princeton.edu

3. WHO IS DISPUTING THE NORTHWEST
PASSAGE?
Canada:
U.S.
The Northwest
The Northwest
Passage is Passage is internal
international waters. waters!
Image retrieved from lecanadian.com

4. CANADA CLAIMS:
• Canada claims historical ties to the
We were before
everyone!
Northwest passage
• The Canadian government states
that since the Inuit are governed by
Canada, Canada may retrieved from
Image
also claim
virginmedia.com
historical ties to the Northwest
Passage (Huebert, n.d., p. 4).
• Therefore, it is international waters

5. THE UNITED STATES CLAIMS:
The Northwest Passage links
one body of water to
another. It is an
international strait!
Image retrieved from
chinadaily.com.cn

6. REASON FOR THE DISPUTE OVER THE
NORTHWEST PASSAGE
22% of the world’s
• Climate change has made the oil lay within the
Northwest Passage a lot more Arctic region
(Mager, 2009, p.
accessible 349)
• Less ice has allowed more
research to discover potential
resources in the Northwest
Passage
• Shipping companies are
interested in the Northwest Image retrieved from
Passage for alternative routes topnews.in

7. REASON FOR THE DISPUTE OVER THE
NORTHWEST PASSAGE CONT.
NWP saves
4,000 km from
Europe to the
Far East!
• The Northwest Passage
saves huge distances
from Europe to Asia
• Cheap in the future for oil
shipments from Alaska to
East Coast! Image retrieved from
Barentsobserver.org

8. SECURITY OVER THE NORTHWEST
PASSAGE
The U.S. Navy may better
protect the NWP by assisting the
• NWP is a strategically Canadian Navy
important location
• It is extremely vulnerable
• If it is an international
waterway, it will be
harder to protect
Image retrieved from
armybase.us

9. RESOLUTION:
• New concerns over
security in the NWP Maybe it should be
has pressed the U.S. to considered internal
reconsider its stance Canadian waters
• The U.S. and Canada
are strong allies, and
the U.S. would be able
to better protect the
NWP by considering it
Canadian waters.
• Meetings between
heads of states are
Image retrieved from scaredmonkeys.com
resolving this currently

10. REFERENCES
• Huebert, Z. (2009, August). Canada and the Changing
International Arctic: At the Crossroads of Cooperation and
Conflict. Institute for Research on Public Policy. Retrieved from
http:// w ww.irpp.org/books/archive/AOTS4/huebert.pdf
• Mager, D. (2009). Climate change, conflicts and cooperation in
the Arctic: Easier access to hydrocarbons and mineral
Resources?. International Journal of Marine & Coastal
Law, 24(2), 347-354. doi:10.1163/157180809X421798
• 0013729e4ad908573f7813. www.chinadaily.com.cn
• 1488222_orig. lecanadian.com
• 4647141_846811. www.barentsobserver.com
• Inuit for snow. http://www.virginmedia.com
• nwp-today-map. http://libweb5.princeton.edu
• Obama sad. www.scaredmonkeys.com
• U.S. Geological Survey. topnews.in
• U.S. Navy destroyer. www.armybase.us