Hans Off!: The Struggle for Hans Island and the Potential Ramifications for International Border Disupute Resolution

Abstract

As global warming continues to warm the Arctic seas, more of the Arctic is free of ice for longer periods. The possibilities for exploitation of natural resources and for control over Northern shipping lanes have prompted countries’ renewed interest in their competing claims to the region. Recently, Denmark and Canada have clashed over their competing claims to a small, uninhabitable rock known as Hans Island. While this island may not seem significant, the eventual resolution of this border dispute may have widespread ramifications for the resolution of international conflicts in other remote, uninhabited areas. This Note examines the International Court of Justice decisions in a number of border dis-pute cases, applies that jurisprudence to the Hans Island facts, and urges both parties to reach an equitable solution.