Why we ought to control the northern route
The week's news at a glance.
Canada
Michael Byers
Toronto Star
The U.S. is putting American business interests ahead of its national security, said Michael Byers in the Toronto Star. U.S. officials have long contested Canadian sovereignty over the Northwest Passage, a sea route that connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans via the icy waters of northern Canada. Washington says it’s an international waterway, open to U.S. merchant ships for navigation. Canada insists that Ottawa should be able to regulate who crosses Canadian territory by sea. Until recently, the question was moot; the passage was almost always choked with ice. As the global climate warms, though, the waterway has opened up, and in another 10 years, any ship will be able to get through. With the war on terror in full sway, “it cannot benefit the U.S. to have foreign vessels shielded from reasonable regulations and scrutiny.” Canada, though, lacks the ships to properly police the passage. So how about a deal? The U.S. could recognize Canada’s claim and invest in border-control equipment, in return for open access to U.S. ships. But the U.S. had better act soon. “With the ice disappearing, time is running out.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
5 weather-beaten cartoons about the Texas floods
Cartoons Artists take on funding cuts, politicizing tragedy, and more
-
What has the Dalai Lama achieved?
The Explainer Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader has just turned 90, and he has been clarifying his reincarnation plans
-
Europe's heatwave: the new front line of climate change
In the Spotlight How will the continent adapt to 'bearing the brunt of climate change'?