The Foreign Service Journal, December 2003

major North American markets. And that means someone must finance and build a pipeline across 500 forbidding miles of Alaska and 1,500 miles of west- ern Canada. The economic, financial, technical and regulatory considerations are many. Also numerous are the reasons why it might not happen. Remember, this incredibly ambitious line will take years to plan and build. It must cross a country which currently sells us its own natural gas. Should we be complacent that Canadians will, as usual, work with us at every step? Indeed, it’s remarkable that they have worked with us so closely for so long. In the early 1980s, under Canada’s National Energy Program, things were quite different. Canada separated itself from the world market for oil in an effort to keep domestic prices below world levels. A senior Canadian energy regulator recently warned that such policies can return. Particularly during periods of high energy prices, people may lose their faith in markets, and demand to be pro- tected from them. Canadians could someday want to keep more of their energy at home — to our detriment and their own. Indeed, there are voices within Canada demanding just that. Remaining attentive to Canada and engaging with it on energy policy can help to keep those voices in the minority. We live in a tough, complicated world that constantly changes beneath our feet. But we also live in a great neigh- borhood called North America, with great neighbors. They are not just our energy partners of the future; they’re our energy partners today. It’s time we recognized them as such. ■ F O C U S 46 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 3 Should we be complacent that Canadians will, as usual, work with us at every step?