Borderlands and Diplomacy: Rethinking Canada and the Alaska Boundary Dispute.

This article reassesses Canada’s role in the 1903 Alaska boundary dispute, challenging the prevailing view that Canada presented a weak and unfounded case and was sacrificed by Britain in favor of the United States. By analyzing the written arguments submitted to the Alaska boundary tribunal and the local negotiations during the Klondike gold rush, it finds that Canada’s position was stronger and more coherent than previously assumed, though complicated by pragmatic local actions such as establishing a temporary border at the Chilkoot and White Pass summits. The tribunal ultimately rejected Canada’s claim that the 1825 Anglo-Russian Treaty permanently set the boundary but confirmed that the border was not definitively established until surveyed, aligning with Canadian arguments and local arrangements. The article also highlights how Indigenous sovereignty was largely ignored or undermined in the dispute, reflecting settler-colonial dynamics. Overall, it portrays Canadian officials as pragmatic actors navigating complex diplomatic and local challenges rather than helpless victims.