Aussies are now all too familiar with international tussles – hello, China… But we’re newbies when you compare the duration of our troubles to the almost 50yo dispute between Canada and Denmark. Their beef was over the maritime boundary in the Arctic drawn in 1973 and the line that went through Hans Island. It has no vegetation or wildlife, but the rock between Canada’s Ellesmere Island and Greenland (an autonomous territory of Denmark) has been the source of some epic squabbling. Over the years, Danish troops have planted their flag and left a note and a bottle of liquor to claim the island. The Canadians responded by replacing the Danish drop with Canadian whisky while hoisting their flag. It also got more serious than that with frigates dispatched in the 2000s… But the ‘whisky war’ has ended – Denmark gets about 60% of the island, and Canada gets the rest. Yesterday, the nations’ foreign ministers exchanged alcohol and notes for the last time. A border standoff that ends well – how about that…