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Right of (Northwest) Passage: Toward a Responsible Canadian Arctic Sovereignty

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 May 2019

Jeremy Seth Geddert Open the ORCID record for Jeremy Seth Geddert [Opens in a new window]
Jeremy Seth Geddert*
Affiliation:
Associate Professor of Political Science, Assumption College, 500 Salisbury St., Worcester, MA 01609
*
*Corresponding author. E-mail: j.geddert@assumption.edu
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Abstract

Canada has long claimed the Northwest Passage as its “internal waters,” while the United States and other countries argue it is an “international strait.” The latter “free sea” position originates in Hugo Grotius, often styled the “father of international law.” However, Grotius later qualifies his own position by granting to coastal states the right to regulate maritime traffic. Grotius's works also inspire the English School of International Relations: an “international society” approach that Canada has historically followed in its overall foreign policy. Hence, a twenty-first-century Grotian vision might suggest a compromise amenable to Canada: Canada would grant passage to conforming American vessels, thus facilitating international trade, but Canada would also gain powers of effective jurisdiction, allowing it to secure and conserve the fragile environment. Canada might thus re-envision sovereignty not as a zero-sum contest for status symbols but as the exercise of functional jurisdiction for the common good of international society.

Résumé

Le Canada revendique depuis longtemps le passage du Nord-Ouest comme faisant partie de ses « eaux intérieures », tandis que les États-Unis et d'autres pays soutiennent qu'il s'agit d'un « détroit international ». Cette dernière position de “mer libre” trouve son origine dans Hugo Grotius, souvent surnommé le “père du droit international”. Cependant, Grotius précise plus tard sa propre position en accordant aux États côtiers le droit de réglementer le trafic maritime. Les travaux de Grotius inspirent également l'English School of International Relations : une approche de « société internationale » que le Canada a historiquement suivie dans sa politique étrangère globale. Par conséquent, une vision grotienne au XXIe siècle pourrait suggérer un compromis viable : le Canada accorderait le passage à des navires américains conformes facilitant ainsi le commerce international, mais il obtiendrait également des pouvoirs de compétence efficaces, ce qui lui permettrait de protéger et de conserver cet environnement fragile. Le Canada pourrait donc ré-envisager la souveraineté non pas comme un jeu à somme nulle pour les symboles de statut, mais comme l'exercice d'une juridiction fonctionnelle pour le bien commun de la société internationale.

Keywords

Northwest Passagearctic sovereigntyGrotiusEnglish SchoolLaw of the SeaCanadian foreign policyUnited States
Type
Research Article/Étude originale
Information
Canadian Journal of Political Science/Revue canadienne de science politique , Volume 52 , Issue 3 , September 2019 , pp. 595 - 612
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Political Science Association (l'Association canadienne de science politique) and/et la Société québécoise de science politique 2019 

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