Reply #10: Umm, remember that part of that shelf DOES belong to the US. [View All]

[Xithras]

Last I checked, Alaska extended to the Arctic sea and the continental shelf beyond that DOES fall under U.S. control. Unfortunately the U.S. and Canada have never finalized a treaty demarcating exactly where the boundary is located and how far out their territorial claims should extend. Canada claims that the existing BC/Alaska border should simply be extended straight out to sea, a claim that would give Canada control of more of the offshore seafloor. The U.S., on the other hand, wants a border aligned with the shoreline, which would split the Beaufort sea evenly between the two countries. Normally it would be a moot point since it's all frozen ocean, but the fact that it's thawing AND the amount of oil under the seafloor complicates things.

It's hard to believe that these things are still an issue in the 21st century, but there are still FIVE unresolved border disputes between the US and Canada. There's this issue with the Beaufort Sea, there's Seal Island, North Rock, Juan de Fuca, and the Dixon entrance (the seaway at the southern tip of Alaska).

As for the Northwest Passage, Canada screwed their own pooch on that one. They signed and ratified the United Nations Law of the Sea treaty, which specifically grants passage to military vessles through "strategic navigational straits". While the ice blockage may preclude the passage from being "strategic" at the moment, many people have already realized that they are going to become a vital Asia/Europe trade route as the Arctic thaws. Canada has little hope of fending off a UN "strategic straits" designation once that happens (it will slash Asia/Europe shipping times, so both the European and Asian countries will push hard for the designation). And once that designation is granted, any nation in the world will gain the unfettered right to sail their warships through Canadian waters...including the US.