La délimitation maritime en mer de Beaufort, entre immobilisme et indifférence ?

• Published in: L’Espace Politique
• Main Authors: Marine Boulanger, Frédéric Lasserre
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English; French
• Published: Université de Reims Champagne-Ardennes 2021
• Subjects: Beaufort Sea; Arctic; EEZ; Canada; United States; maritime limit; Political science; J; Political science (General); JA1-92; Mer de Beaufort
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.4000/espacepolitique.9388; https://doaj.org/article/7b4658084d5b4b3fbe93d58baef7c865

Several claims on maritime spaces in the Arctic have resulted in disputes between riparian states, even though many of these disputes have been solved through negotiations. Among these disputes, we find the disagreement between the United States and Canada concerning the limits of their Exclusive Economic Zone in the Beaufort Sea. This is a relatively old dispute (1977) which, despite the cordial relations between Ottawa and Washington, does not seem to find a solution. This article aims at analyzing the situation in the Beaufort Sea, in order to present the reasons for the continuation of this dispute. Based on legal elements and government documents, the objective is to offer a synthetic reading of the factors that explain the weak commitment of the American and Canadian governments to solve this low-priority dispute.