The Hans Island Whiskey War
Border disputes are not particularly rare around the world. In fact, there are approximately 150 actively taking place right now, with some being areas of potential concern (such as the South China Sea), and other being areas of barely-controlled conflict (such as Crimea and eastern Ukraine).
And then, there is the dispute over Hans Island - which was probably the most peaceful and cordial territorial dispute in the world.
Hans Island’s location renders it extremely difficult to reach. Source: Google Earth
Hans Island is not easy to reach, at all. Geolocation tools on Google Earth reveal that it is located extraordinarily far north (about 4500km, or 2800 miles, north of New York City in a straight line) in a strait between Canada and Greenland. The island is only 1.3sq km (0.5mi) in width and is home to nothing more than seabirds, and two bottles of liquor - specifically, Canadian rye whiskey, and Danish schnapps - that were swapped out for one another as both Denmark and Canada vied for control of the island.
The situation began in the 1970s when both countries began to conduct geographical surveys of the region, but neither sides’ maps contained Hans Island - likely due to its complete insignificance. When rumors began to swirl of a Canadian resource company beginning to survey the region (and Hans Island), Denmark’s Minister for Greenland Affairs flew via helicopter to the island to plant a Danish flag and a bottle of schnapps, with a sign reading “Welcome to the Danish Island”.
The Whisky War began when Canada responded with a bottle of rye whiskey, a Canadian flag, and a “Welcome to Canada” sign. This went back and forth for years, with no end in sight for decades.
Photography shows a Danish flag raising in 2002, and a Canadian flag raising in 2005, on Hans Island. Source: The Telegraph
The “war” had a debatable serious side - climate change meant that the island could have been used as a staging ground for offshore drilling and hold strategic purpose after a certain period of time. Furthermore, an unannounced visit by a Canadian minister in 2005 did cause formal complaint from Denmark - though the only outcome was agreeing to have each country notify one another of all future visits by any ministers from either side.
In 2022, a formal resolution to the dispute was finally settled, splitting the island in half from north to south (meaning that Canada now technically shares a land border with Denmark). In addition to resolving the diplomatic conundrum, the agreement also outlined clear maritime rights, and outlined clear rights for indigenous people to use the land.
TAI Score: Degree 0. Even prior to the Whiskey War’s resolution in 2022, the dispute was extremely unlikely to flare into actual hostility given the generally peaceful nature of Canada and Denmark (as well as the phenomenon of the Democratic Peace Theory). While Arctic politics and disputes can hold considerable implications for geopolitical stability, Hans Island was never truly at risk of being at the heart of an international conflagration.
