Name:_______________________
Block:_______
Date:_______________
Notes 4.6 Boundary Disputes
Objective: SWBAT identify the four types of major boundary disputes by classifying a variety of
examples.
Today I will learn _____________________________________________________________ by
___________________________________________________________________________________.
Word Wall: Boundary dispute, Positional disputes, territorial disputes, resource disputes,
functional disputes
Cornell Notes on the Characteristics of States
Directions: Take notes in your own words answering each question on the left.
Topic
Notes in your own words
What is a
boundary
dispute?
What are the
four types of
boundary
disputes?
1. Definitional disputes (positional disputes)
2. Locational disputes
3. Allocational disputes (resource disputes)
4. Operational disputes (functional disputes)
Matching!
Directions: Use your notes from the first page to categorize each boundary dispute as a
defintional, locational, allocational, or operational dispute.
Example
1. One country sues another country
in the world court over a boundary.
The unhappy country does not think
the wording of the boundary in a
treaty is fair, so the country seeks a
legal solution.
2. The United States and Mexico
disagree who should have the right to
drill for oil in the Gulf of Mexico. Oil is
the basis of gasoline and the reserves
in the gulf of Mexico are worth billions
of dollars.
3. The United States and Canada
disagree over immigration policy
along their border. The U.S. wants
everyone to have a passport who
crosses the border. Canada thinks a
national issued identification card,
such as a drivers license, should
suffice. Canada worries that requiring
passports for travel across the
Canadian-U.S. boarder would stifle
trade.
4. The Mississippi River is a physical
boundary that separates Louisianna
and Mississippi. Over the years the
Mississippi River has slowly changed its
path. Some land that use to be on the
Mississippi side of the border is now on
the Louisiana side. The two states
disagree whether this land should
belong to Mississippi or Louisiana.
5. The United States and Mexico
disagree over who should have
access to the water that flows down
the Rio Grande. There is only a trickle
of water left in this river once it gets to
Mexico. Mexico wants more water to
flow down this river because river
water provides drinking water.
Is it a definitional,
Explain why you chose the
locational, allocational, answer you did.
or operational dispute?
Because….
Because….
Because….
Because….
Because….
Say Something!
Directions: You will read about a recent boundary dispute. To make sense of the reading,
you will discuss what you have read every two minutes. You will follow the steps below:
Step 1: Look up at the board to see your role. Your role will be to either summarize what
your read for two minutes or ask one question about your reading.
Step 2: Silently read and annotate the text.
Step 3: When Mr. Roth says “Say Something” you will complete your role.
Step 4: Repeat the first three steps.
A Recent Case Study: Border Dispute
Costa Rica / Nicaragua
WHAT IS HAPPENING NOW (IN THE RECENT NEWS)?
November 30, 2010 ---- A simmering border dispute over a remote swamp island is threatening the relationship
between Costa Rica and Nicaragua and putting regional stability at risk. Part of the boundary separating the
country of Nicaragua from Costa Rica is the San Juan River.
The conflict erupted in October, 2010 when Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega dredged the San Juan River.
Dredging is a way to clean the floor bed of a river to increase the flow of water, but it typically changes the
location of a river. In this case, the San Juan River would flow much farther south, which would take land away
from Costa Rica. Fifty Nicaraguan troops soon followed and set up camp on a narrow stretch of disputed land
near Costa Rica's Calero Island, for the alleged purpose of combat drug trafficking. However, many suspect these
troops are Nicaragua’s way of trying to take over the land.
While Costa Rica and other regional neighbors have asked Nicaragua to withdraw its troops from the island, Mr.
Ortega says his soldiers are on Nicaraguan soil and accuses Costa Rica of making “disproportionate lies about
invasion” in an attempt to block Nicaragua from dredging its river and reclaiming its natural resource. A
Nicaraguan government paper released this week accuses Costa Rica of being historically manipulative and
dishonest aggressor nation with an expansionist goal of seeking “direct access to the Lake of Nicaragua and San
Juan River."
Costa Rica claims it’s Nicaragua that has crossed the fence to take neighboring land. Even Google Maps was
pulled into the fray when Nicaragua pointed to the Internet application as further proof that the sand-dredging
mission was on Nicaraguan soil. Google modified its map, but the standoff shows no signs of stopping, with
Ortega using the crisis to rally his normally divided country behind him as he seeks reelection next year despite a
constitutional ban on him running for public office again.
"With Google or without Google, we know where the border is," says Nicaraguan General Edén Pastora, who is
leading the Nicaraguan’s dredging operation.
Along with putting out a warrant for the arrest of Mr. Pastora', Costa Rica is taking Nicaragua to the World Court,
which is called The Hague. The International Court of Justice will rule on Costa Rica’s demand that Nicaragua
withdraw its troops from the disputed area and halt the dredging until the final border issue is resolved – a process
that could take another four years.
IMPACT ON REGIONAL TIES
Nicaragua and Costa Rica are not alone regionally in butting heads over a shared border. From Chile and Bolivia
to Colombia and Venezuela, many disputes have hurt international relations in South America.
"These small situations can become much more complicated," says Michael Shifter, president of the InterAmerican Dialogue in Washington. "There is the trade question, the immigration question, the connections
between both societies. All of that could suffer."
Is war brewing? Not likely. David Mares, director of the Center for Iberian and Latin American Studies at the
University of California, San Diego, says these disputes rarely flare up or cause regional instability, but they can
cause political friction.
ROILING ON A RIVER
Navigation rights along the San Juan River, and the border itself, have been contested since the 1850s. Ortega
says he is defending the country's territorial integrity by cleaning river sediment that has blocked water flow and
shifted the river mouth northward.
"Nicaragua has the right to dredge the San Juan River to recover the flow of waters that existed in 1858" when the
border treaty was signed, Ortega said. He cites the coordinates of a century-old border treaty and a 2009 ruling
from the International Court of Justice – the same documents Costa Rica cites for its land claims.
The Organization of American States (OAS) stepped in on Nov. 12, voting 22 to 2 in favor of a resolution calling
on Nicaragua to withdraw troops. Only Nicaragua and ally Venezuela voted against the motion.
Costa Rica declared triumph, but Nicaragua dug in its heels, saying it will not withdraw troops but might
withdraw from the OAS.
TRANSLATING CONFLICT INTO POLITICAL CAPITAL
Costa Ricans, aware of Ortega's political aims, suspect this is a publicity stunt to help him get reelected. "The
majority of Costa Ricans are suspicious that this is a smoke screen by Ortega to create national unity and distract
public opinion from Nicaraguas problems," says Sergio Moya, director of the University of Costa Rica's Foreign
Policy Watchdog. Ortega wants to win the election next year, and Costa Ricans suspect that if he can get
Nicaraguans rallied around this boarder issue, he could get reelected.
Nicaragua's Edén Pastora, meanwhile, claims it's Costa Rican President Laura Chinchilla who invented the
conflict to distract Costa Ricans from controversial gold mining and highway projects that have drawn heated
protests in recent months.
Translating conflict into political capital, for either leader, also runs the risk of prolonging the border dispute,
which none want less than those living along the San Juan River.
Upriver 150 miles from the disputed area, in the town of San Carlos, life goes on as normal for residents from
both sides of the river – many of mixed Costa Rican-Nicaraguan families. On a recent afternoon during the
second annual Aquatic Carnival, lively chichero musicians filled the air with festive fast-tempo beats that belied
the tensions downriver.
"Once all this nonsense is over," says local river-lodge owner Yaro Ch-Praslin of the border dispute, "the Rio San
Juan can become a tourism destination that benefits both countries."
ARTICLE ANALYSIS
1. What are your first reactions to this boundary dispute?
2. What type of boundary dispute would you classify this news event as?
3. In your opinion, who began this conflict? Explain.
4. In your opinion, what has been the most significant event over the course of this dispute? Why?
5. In your opinion, how can this issue be resolved? Explain.
Homework: Memorize all the countries in South America. You will have a quiz Monday
morning on the location of each country.