Thoughts From a "Lost Canadian" About the "Whisky War"

Growing up the the USA once in awhile I have heard something in the news about the on-going "polite" war between Canada and Denmark. This "war" is known as the "Whisky War" and so since I'm a "Lost Canadian", I thought I'd learn the details . . .

• The "Whisky War" was a peaceful, 50-year border dispute between Canada and Denmark over Hans Island, a tiny, uninhabited rock in the Arctic.
• Starting in 1984, the two nations engaged in a humorous ritual: soldiers and officials would visit the island, plant their national flag, and leave a bottle of their native liquor (Canadian whisky or Danish schnapps) for the other to find.
• The bloodless conflict was settled in June 2022 when both countries agreed to divide the 1.3-square-kilometer island almost exactly in half, creating a new land border.
• The Cause: A 1973 maritime boundary treaty drawn through the Nares Strait between Canada and Greenland (an autonomous territory of Denmark) intentionally left the ownership of Hans Island unresolved, as both nations claimed it.
• In 1984, the Danish Minister for Greenland visited the island, replaced the Canadian flag with a Danish one, and left a bottle of schnapps with a note reading "Welcome to the Danish Island." Canada responded in kind, and the friendly exchange continued for decades.
• The historic accord divides the 1.2-square-kilometre island roughly in half, creating a land border between Canada and Denmark (Greenland, or Kalaallit Nunaat, is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark) and the world’s longest maritime boundary at nearly 4,000 kilometres. 
• It also ensures Inuit in both countries will be able to move freely about the island and surrounding ice and waters, an important hunting ground since the 14th century. 
• After signing the treaty alongside Greenland’s Prime Minister Múte B. Egede, Canadian foreign minister Mélanie Joly and Danish foreign minister Jeppe Kofod exchanged bottles of alcohol for the last time. 
• “I think it was the friendliest of all wars,” said Joly, praising the diplomatic work which went into resolving the 50-year dispute. The resulting treaty is “a win for Canada, a win for Denmark and Greenland, and a win for Indigenous Peoples,” she added. 
• It’s also a symbolic rebuke of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Both Joly and Kofod said the peaceful resolution of the Hans Island dispute is proof diplomacy works and territorial disputes can be resolved through the rule of law instead of violence.

You will find more information about the "Whiskey War" at this link. I am SO happy to learn more about this "war" and while it was not a "serious" war, it does show how countries are able to use diplomacy instead of weapons - I wish more countries would take this perspective.