Disputes and the Lesson from Hans Island

the AZEL PERSPECTIVE Commentary on Cuba's Future, U.S. Foreign Policy & Individual Freedoms - Issue 422 B   José Azel's latest books "On Freedom" and "Sobre La Libertad" are now available on Amazon.  Territorial Disputes and the Lesson from Hans Island (Previously published) Share Tweet Forward Hans Island is a barren uninhabited island measuring 4,230 feet long and 3,934 feet wide located in the Nares Strait between Greenland and Ellesmere Island. Its location places Hans Island within the territorial waters of both Canada and Denmark and both countries claim it as their own territory. On periodic visits to the Island, the militaries of both Canada and Denmark remove the other’s flag and plant their own. The territorial dispute takes on a very civilized nature because, when the Danish Navy removes the Canadian flag to plant their own, they also leave a bottle of Schnapps, a traditional Danish spirt. Not to be outdone, the Canadian Navy, in turn, removes the Danish flag, plants the Canadian flag and leaves a bottle of Canadian Club. Cheers!  Unfortunately, such civilized behavior is not always present in territorial disputes. Territorial disputes are often related to the ownership of natural resources, and can also result from the dynamics of culture, religion, ethnicity and nationalism. Currently there are over 150 disputes worldwide that involve territory issues. Some of the most contentious disputes are in Crimea, the East China Sea, Jammu and Kashmir, the Golan Heights, Gaza Strip, and West Bank, Western Sahara, and many more.  In Latin America, according to Professor Jorge I. Dominguez: “Since the start of 2,000 five Latin American boundary disputes between neighboring states have resulted in the use of force, and two others in its deployment. These incidents involved ten of the nineteen independent countries in South and Central America. In 1995 Ecuador and Peru went to war, resulting in more than a thousand deaths and injuries and significant economic loss. And yet, by international standards the Americas were comparatively free from interstate war during the twentieth century. Latin Americans for the most part do not fear aggression from their neighbors. They do not expect their countries to go to war with one another.”  However, Latin American countries are quick to involve their military in territorial disputes. Since 1990 Nicaragua has had militarized disputes with four countries. “Venezuela and Honduras have each had militarized disputes with three neighboring states. El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, and Colombia have each militarized disputes with two neighbors...” Yet only the 1995 dispute between Ecuador and Peru escalated to war.  Professor Dominguez advances several arguments to account for the relative infrequency and short duration of interstate wars in Latin America. However, the shared identity of Latin American countries stands out as a major factor in fostering interstate peace in the continent.  But this shared identity is limited. According to a 2011 Pew Research report, a majority (51%) of Latin Americans identify themselves by their family’s country of origin (Mexican, Cuban, etc.) and not by a pan-ethnic label. Only 24% identify themselves as Hispanic or Latino. Also, most Hispanics do not see a shared common culture among U.S. Hispanics. Nearly 69% say Hispanics in the U.S., have many different cultures, while only 29% say Hispanics in the U.S. share a common culture.  Political scientists have advanced the notion that we believe ourselves to be Chilean or Argentinian simply because we believe ourselves to be such. In other words, in this view, a nationality is nothing more than a social construction. A nationality is an “imagined community.”  Interestingly, the level of personal trust is lower among Latin Americans than among the general public in the United Sates. Among the U.S. general public 61% say that “you can’t be too careful when it comes to dealing with people.” Among Latin Americans this distrust metric increases to 86 percent. It also appears that Hispanic political views are more liberal than those of the general U.S. public. Thirty percent of Hispanics describe their political views as liberal or very liberal, compared with 21% of the general public. From personal experience I suspect that Cubans are an exception to this liberal attitude.  Latin Americans may not exchange rum and pisco in a deserted island, but they share an identity and think of their neighbors as adversaries, not as enemies.  Please let us know if you  this article. We welcome your feedback. Abrazos, Lily & José (click on the name to email Lily or Jose) José Azel, Ph.D. José Azel left Cuba in 1961 as a 13 year-old political exile in what has been dubbed Operation Pedro Pan - the largest unaccompanied child refugee movement in the history of the Western Hemisphere.   He is currently dedicated to the in-depth analyses of Cuba's economic, social and political state, with a keen interest in post-Castro-Cuba strategies. Dr. Azel was a Senior Scholar at the Institute for Cuban and Cuban-American Studies (ICCAS) at the University of Miami, Jose Azel has published extensively on Cuba related topics. In 2012 and 2015, Dr. Azel testified in the U.S. Congress on U.S.-Cuba Policy, and U.S. National Security.  He is a frequent speaker and commentator on these and related topics on local, national and international media.  He holds undergraduate and masters degrees in business administration and a Ph.D. in International Affairs from the University of Miami. José along with his wife Lily are avid skiers and adventure travelers.  In recent years they have climbed Grand Teton in Wyoming, trekked Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania and Machu Pichu in Peru.  They have also hiked in Tibet and in the Himalayas to Mt. Everest Base Camp. They cycled St. James Way (El Camino de Santiago de Compostela) and cycled alongside the Danube from Germany to Hungary and throughout southern France.  They have scuba dived in the Bay Islands off the Honduran coast and in the Galapagos Islands. Most recently, they rafted for 17 days 220 miles in the Grand Canyon.  Their adventurers are normally dedicated to raise funds for causes that are dear to them.  Watch Joe & Lily summit Kilimanjaro. Books by Dr. José Azel José Azel’s writings are touched with the wisdom of a master, and the charm of an excellent communicator. Anyone who wishes to understand why countries do, or do not, progress will find in this book the best explanations. And, from these readings emerge numerous inferences: How and why do the good intentions of leftist collectivism lead countries to hell? Why is liberty not a sub product of prosperity, but rather one of its causes? If it was in my power, this work would be required reading for all college and university students, and I would also recommend its reading to all politicians, journalists, and policymakers. With his writings Azel accomplishes what was achieved in France by Frédéric Bastiat, and in the United States by Henry Hazlitt: Azel brings together common sense with intelligent observation, and academic substance. Stupendous, Carlos Alberto Montaner                                                                    BUY NOW Los escritos de José Azel están tocados por la sabiduría de un maestro y la amenidad de un excelente comunicador. Cualquiera que desee entender por qué los países progresan, o no, encontrará en este libro las mejores explicaciones. De estas lecturas surgen numerosas inferencias: ¿Cómo y por qué las buenas intenciones del colectivismo de izquierda llevan a los países al infierno? ¿Por qué la libertad no es un subproducto de la prosperidad, sino una de sus causas? Si estuviera en mis manos, esta obra sería de obligada lectura de todos los estudiantes universitarios, pero además, le recomendaría su lectura a todos los políticos, periodistas y policy makers. Con sus escritos Azel logra lo que Frédéric Bastiat consiguiera en Francia y Henry Hazlitt en Estados Unidos: aunar el sentido común, la observación inteligente y la enjundia académica. Estupendo. Carlos Alberto Montaner                                                            Compre Aqui "Liberty for beginners is much more than what the title promises. It is eighty themes touched with the wisdom of a master, and the charm of an excellent communicator. Anyone that wishes to understand why countries do, or do not progress, will find in this book the best explanations. Stupendous" Carlos Alberto Montaner Buy Now "Libertad para novatos es mucho más de lo que promete el título. Son ochenta temas tocados con la sabiduría de un maestro y la amenidad de un excelente comunicador. Cualquier adulto que desee saber por qué progresan o se estancan los pueblos aquí encontrará las mejores explicaciones. Estupendo." Carlos Alberto Montaner Compre Aqui In Reflections on Freedom, José Azel brings together a collection of his columns published in prestigious newspapers.  Each article reveals his heartfelt and personal awareness of the importance of freedom in our lives.  They are his reflections after nearly sixty years of living and learning as a Cuban outside Cuba. In what has become his stylistic trademark, Professor Azel brilliantly introduces complex topics in brief journalistic articles. Buy Now En Reflexiones sobre la libertad José Azel reúne una colección de sus columnas publicadas en prestigiosos periódicos. Cada artículo revela su percepción sincera y personal de la importancia de la libertad en nuestras vidas. Son sus reflexiones después de casi sesenta años viviendo y aprendiendo como cubano fuera de Cuba.  En lo que ha resultado ser característica distintiva de sus artículos, el Profesor Azel introduce con brillantez complejos temas en  breves artículos de carácter periodístico. Compre Aqui Mañana in Cuba is a comprehensive analysis of contemporary Cuba with an incisive perspective of the Cuban frame of mind and its relevancy for Cuba's future. Buy now Pedazos y Vacíos is a collection of poems written in by Dr. Azel in his youth. Poems are in Spanish. Buy now