Antarctic Security in the Twenty-First Century

Legal and Policy Perspectives

Alan D. Hemmings, Donald R. Rothwell, Karen N. Scott, Alan D. Hemmings, Donald R. Rothwell, Karen N. Scott

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2012
• Print ISBN:
  9780415741446
• eBook ISBN:
  9781136324758
• Topic: Law
• Subtopic: International Law
• Index: Law

The Antarctic Treaty (1959) was adopted for the purpose of bringing peace and stability to Antarctica and to facilitate cooperation in scientific research conducted on and around the continent. It has now been over fifty years since the signing of the treaty, nevertheless security continues to drive and shape the laws and policy regime which governs the region. Antarctic Security in the Twenty-First Century: Legal and Policy Perspectives assess Antarctic security from multiple legal and policy perspectives. This book reviews the existing security construct in Antarctica, critically assesses its status in the early part of the Twenty-First century and considers how Antarctic security may be viewed in both the immediate and distant future. The book assesses emerging new security threats, including the impact of climate change and the issues arising from increased human traffic to Antarctica by scientists, tourists, and mariners. The authors call into question whether the existing Antarctic security construct framed around the Antarctic Treaty remains viable, or whether new Antarctic paradigms are necessary for the future governance of the region. The contributions to this volume engage with a security discourse which has expanded beyond the traditional military domain to include notions of security from the perspective of economics, the environment and bio-security. This book provides a contemporary and innovative approach to Antarctic issues which will be of interest to scholars of international law, international relations, security studies and political science as well as policy makers, lawyers and government officials with an interest in the region.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Author biography
• Title page
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• List of Illustrations
• List of Treaties
• Notes on Contributors
• Preface
• List of Abbreviations
• 1 The search for ‘Antarctic security’
• 2 Law and policy for Antarctic security: An analytical framework
• 3 The Antarctic Treaty as a security construct
• 4 Regime integrity qua Antarctic security: Embedding global principles and universal values with the Antarctic Treaty System
• 5 Security beyond claims
• 6 The Antarctic Peninsula: Territory, sovereignty watch and the ‘Antarctic problem’
• 7 Strategic competition and emerging security risks: Will Antarctica remain demilitarised?
• 8 Law enforcement in Antarctica
• 9 Antarctic resources and human security
• 10 Delimitation of the continental shelves in the Antarctic Treaty area: Lessons for regime, resource and environmental security
• 11 Bioprospecting as a challenge to the Antarctic Treaty
• 12 Marine resources management, security and the Antarctic Treaty System: An ongoing agenda?
• 13 Maritime security: Investing in safe shipping operations to help prevent marine pollution
• 14 The Antarctic ‘climate security’ dilemma and the future of Antarctic governance
• 15 Scientific rhetoric and Antarctic security
• 16 The security challenge posed by scientific permit whaling and its opponents in the Southern Ocean
• 17 Antarctic security in a global context
• Index