Preview: Chapter 7 of Territorial Disputes in the Americas
Territorial Disputes in the Americas (released August 20, 2025) explores the continent’s complex conflicts. Chapter 7, “Americans versus Americans,” examines territorial disputes among American states with similar bargaining power, contrasting with the external influences in Chapters 5–6. As part of my 10-week chapter reveal series, this preview, grounded in my work, highlights the chapter’s key ideas. Discover how disputes like Essequibo and Beagle Channel reflect regional dynamics and join the conversation on peacebuilding.
Disputes Among Equals
Unlike disputes involving dominant powers (e.g., US, UK), Chapter 7 focuses on conflicts where American states have comparable bargaining power, in addition to legal sovereign equality (UN Charter, Art. 2.1). These disputes, rooted in colonial legacies, are fueled by unclear borders, resource competition, and socio-cultural factors. The chapter introduces a typology—border, resource, ideological, influence, migratory, and leaders’ prestige disputes—and organizes cases into three geopolitical clusters: North America, Central America and the Caribbean Basin, and South America. A multidimensional approach, integrating agents (individuals, communities, states), players (hosts, participants, attendees, viewers), contexts (domestic, regional, international), realms (factual, normative, axiological), and modes of existence (ideal, natural, cultural, metaphysical), reveals their complexity.
Typology of Disputes
The chapter classifies disputes based on claims (e.g., legal, historical, cultural), issues at stake (e.g., strategic location, economic value), and contexts:
Border Disputes
Stem from vague colonial boundaries, complicated by terrain (e.g., jungles) and populations (e.g., indigenous groups). Example: Guyana–Suriname over the New River Triangle.
Resource Disputes
Driven by hydrocarbons, fisheries, or water, often intensified by UNCLOS and new technologies. Example: Venezuela–Guyana over Essequibo’s resources.
Ideological Disputes
Rooted in liberalism vs. Marxism, often backed by external powers. Example: Nicaragua’s Sandinista era conflicts.
Influence Disputes
Reflect states’ quests for regional dominance. Example: US–Canada Northwest Passage debate.
Migratory Disputes
Fueled by refugees, ethnic ties, or forced migrations (e.g., FARC in Colombia). Example: Central American migration crises.
Leaders’ Prestige Disputes
Driven by domestic political needs, as seen with caudillos like Bolívar.
Regional Clusters
North America
US–Canada disputes focus on maritime claims, including Dixon Entrance (salmon fisheries), Northwest Passage (navigation rights), Beaufort Sea (hydrocarbons, Inuit rights), Strait of Juan de Fuca (EEZ boundaries), and Machias Seal Island (overlapping jurisdictions). These disputes, rooted in imprecise colonial agreements, remain unresolved due to competing interpretations of international law (e.g., UNCLOS, which the US has not ratified) and resource interests.
Central America and the Caribbean Basin
Disputes here, often influenced by US proximity, involve colonial roots, UNCLOS, and resources. Examples include:
Guatemala–Belize: Ongoing, with Guatemala’s claim to Belize’s territory pending ICJ ruling (2019 referendums).
Guyana–Suriname: Contested New River Triangle, rich in resources, stems from unclear colonial borders.
Venezuela–Guyana: Essequibo dispute, involving two-thirds of Guyana’s land, persists despite the 1966 Geneva Agreement.
Nicaragua–Costa Rica: Rio San Juan navigation rights disputes, resolved via ICJ interventions.
El Salvador–Honduras: Gulf of Fonseca maritime claims, settled in 1992. Regional bodies like the OAS Peace Fund have facilitated resolutions, while ethnic diversity and non-state actors (e.g., drug traffickers) complicate dynamics.
South America
Most South American disputes, rooted in colonial ambiguities and uti possidetis, are resolved. Examples include:
Peru–Ecuador: Settled via the 1998 Brasilia Peace Agreement, with guarantors ensuring stability.
Chile–Peru–Bolivia: War of the Pacific resolved with Bolivia landlocked but tensions persist over trade access.
Argentina–Chile: Beagle Channel (1970s–80s) and Laguna del Desierto (1994) disputes resolved through Vatican mediation and a Latin American tribunal, respectively. The Amazon and Southern Cone face ongoing issues like illegal immigration, resource extraction, and indigenous claims opposing state interests.
Multidimensional Approach
The multidimensional approach illuminates:
Agents and Players: Beyond states, caudillos (e.g., Bolívar), indigenous groups, and non-state actors (e.g., FARC) shape disputes. For instance, Pope John Paul II’s mediation in Beagle Channel highlights non-state peacebuilding roles.
Contexts: Domestic instability (e.g., Nicaragua’s regime changes), regional alliances (e.g., OAS), and international norms (e.g., Calvo Doctrine) influence outcomes. Regional guarantors enhance peaceful resolutions.
Realms: Factual (e.g., terrain challenges), normative (e.g., UNCLOS), and axiological (e.g., democratic systems vs. military regimes) realms drive disputes. Judeo-Christian traditions foster peacebuilding.
Modes of Existence: Ideal (e.g., ideologies), natural (e.g., shifting rivers), cultural (e.g., nationalism), and metaphysical (e.g., Mapuche borderless views) elements add complexity. Nonlinear approaches reveal emotional drivers like nationalism.
Path to Peace
Chapter 7 shows that 92% of Latin American borders are delimited, with peaceful resolutions aided by regional guarantors, democratic systems, and non-legal norms (e.g., religion). The next chapter will explore indigenous and implanted populations’ roles in disputes.
Get a Sneak Peek
Dive deeper at https://drjorge.world with posts like “Essequibo Dispute” and “Amazon Challenges.” Follow my weekly reveals on X (#TerritorialDisputes) and share your thoughts. Order details below.
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New posts every Thursday.
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