Botts makes a point of calling this unique pact, signed by the President Nixon for the United States and Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau for Canada in 1972, “binational” rather than “bilateral.” Far from academic hair-splitting, the distinction cuts to the core of the treaty’s reason for being: The Great Lakes don’t give a damn about dotted lines, and neither should we. Contrary to most agreements between autonomy-addicted countries, this pact gave birth to research and regulatory bodies answerable only to the lakes — most significantly, an International Joint Commission charged with protecting the world’s biggest fresh-water system and insulated (ideally) from the fickle winds of national politics.
http://lansingcitypulse.com/060215/literature/index.asp
Posted by Dave at February 20, 2006 09:58 AM