Hans Island and the limits of a 'perfect' treaty

Was dividing Hans Island between Canada and Denmark a perfect treaty?

No treaty is perfectly equitable if it considers only the two governments and ignores other affected people, practices, and costs.

In this 2022 exchange, Hans Island is offered as a supposedly perfect agreement between Canada and Denmark. That label becomes less secure once the interests of people with ties to the region and the naval crews whose ritual visits had kept relations friendly are considered. Formalising a dispute that had long remained peaceful also carried an administrative cost. Equity cannot be judged only by whether the signatory governments are satisfied; it also depends on which stakeholders and informal practices the settlement changes.