For a blueprint on AI governance, look to Cold War-era geopolitics, not just tech history. The 1967 UN Outer Space Treaty, which established cooperation between the US and Soviet Union, shows that global compromise on new frontiers is possible even amidst intense rivalry. It provides a model for political, not just technical, solutions.

While the US exports less to Canada by volume, its exports (electronics, pharma) have far higher margins and shareholder value multiples than Canadian exports (lumber, oil). Therefore, for every dollar of trade disrupted by tariffs, the US loses significantly more economic value, making the policy self-defeating.

A formal quid pro quo arrangement where a hunter provides meat in exchange for land access is illegal. This law prevents the commodification of wild game, which must remain a public resource. Gifts are permissible, but a transactional agreement crosses a legal line.

Small metal plaques on sidewalks stating 'private property' serve a critical legal function. They prevent the public from gaining legal rights to the land through continuous use—a concept known as adverse possession. This allows owners to permit public passage while legally retaining future development rights.

What began as a simple desire to hunt elk on public land evolved into a landmark legal case with national implications. The hunters' persistence transformed a local trespassing dispute into a pivotal fight over public access rights across the American West, showing how small-scale conflicts can set major precedents.

To counteract US trade barriers, Canada's long-term strategy involves removing its own internal trade barriers between provinces. This move is projected to boost GDP by a quarter of a trillion dollars, enough to offset even a complete breakdown of the US trade deal.

The US government's "checkerboard" land grants to railroads in the 1800s, designed to spur Westward expansion, inadvertently created over 8 million acres of public land that remain inaccessible to the public because they are locked by surrounding private property.

The West reluctantly included human rights provisions in the Helsinki Accords, believing them unenforceable. However, dissidents across the Eastern Bloc weaponized these clauses to hold communist regimes accountable, undermining their legitimacy from within and contributing to their collapse.

When trade policies force allies like Canada to find new partners, it's not a temporary shift. They build new infrastructure and relationships that won't be abandoned even if the political climate changes. The trust is broken, making the economic damage long-lasting and difficult to repair.