Abstract
Continental security requires resolution of the United States-Canada Northwest Passage disagreement. This article builds upon Ted McDorman's emphasis on the different positions of the two nations and asserts that there is a pressing need for a solution regarding the Passage that is rooted in bilateral cooperation. In this era of accelerated climate change and increased access to the waters of North America's High Arctic, as well as the uncertain future of an increasingly alliance-skeptical United States in some influential circles and the rapidly moving international tensions, uncertainty surrounds the issue. A resolution at the intersection of sovereignty and security in the Northwest Passage dispute rejects an absolutist approach to sovereignty or precedent, and instead recognizes Canadian sovereignty to the Passage, allowing it to close off the Passage to any hostile forces, while allowing the Americans access to the Passage to protect the continent. It is a cooperative United States-Canada arrangement that will secure the continent for both countries.