Skip to Main Content
 

Global Search Box

 
 
 
 

Files

File List


osu1245353815.pdf (957.48 KB)

ETD Abstract Container

Abstract Header

Arctic Sovereignty and the Cold War: Canada-U.S. Relations and the Establishment of the DEW Line

Woitkowitz, John
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1245353815

Abstract Details

2009, Master of Arts, Ohio State University, History.
This thesis analyzes how Arctic sovereignty issues shaped Canada’s negotiations with the United States about the establishment of the Distant Early Warning Line (DEW Line) in the Canadian Arctic during the 1950s. Against the backdrop of Cold War tensions, Ottawa and Washington agreed to install a chain of radar stations along North America’s Arctic border—mostly through Canadian territory—in an attempt to detect and deter potential Soviet nuclear attacks crossing the North pole. The asymmetric nature of Canada-U.S. relations and Ottawa’s consequent dependence upon U.S. defense stewardship, however, conflicted with Canadians’ view of their country’s recent national emancipation from its colonial relationship with Great Britain. During World War II, Ottawa’s experience with Canadian-American Northern defense cooperation had been mixed as a result of U.S. construction and operation of defense installations perceived to infringe upon Canada’s sovereignty. Whereas these wartime irritations informed Ottawa’s position throughout the DEW Line negotiations, the Canadian North carried significance beyond the strategic-military rationale of the Cold War. Canada’s Arctic served as a key element in the cultural construction of a Canadian national identity, in turn influencing how Ottawa conceived of the implications of a large American presence along Canada’s Northern frontier. This study demonstrates how sovereignty concerns shaped Ottawa’s course of action during the DEW Line negotiations, ensuring Canadian ownership and jurisdiction. By bringing the Cold War dimension, the Canadian sovereignty debate, and the broader cultural forces into conversation with each other, this thesis argues that the interplay of these aspects in context of asymmetric Canada-U.S. relations is key to a thorough understanding of Ottawa’s position towards Washington during the DEW Line negotiations.
Robert J. McMahon, PhD (Advisor)
Robert J. McMahon, PhD (Advisor)
Paula Baker, PhD (Committee Member)
Peter L. Hahn, PhD (Committee Member)
93 p.
American History; Canadian History; History; International Relations
arctic; sovereignty; cold war; canada; united states; dew line; distant early warning; canada-us relations

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Woitkowitz, J. (2009). Arctic Sovereignty and the Cold War: Canada-U.S. Relations and the Establishment of the DEW Line [Master's thesis, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1245353815

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Woitkowitz, John. Arctic Sovereignty and the Cold War: Canada-U.S. Relations and the Establishment of the DEW Line. 2009. Ohio State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1245353815.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Woitkowitz, John. "Arctic Sovereignty and the Cold War: Canada-U.S. Relations and the Establishment of the DEW Line." Master's thesis, Ohio State University, 2009. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1245353815

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1245353815
1,464
© 2009, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.