Journal Publications

The Antarctic Treaty - 50 More Years of Preserving Peace?

Summary

Representatives from Australia, Canada, Chile, China, France, Italy, New Zealand, Norway, UK, and USA, gathered at Cumberland Lodge to discuss the state of the Antarctic Treaty in the year of its fiftieth anniversary. Of particular interest was the question whether lessons can be learned from the Treaty that can be applied to other geographical regions and other issues of geopolitical concern. The discussion ranged widely. There was a recognition of the fact that the creation of the Treaty in 1959 was historically contingent and that no such set of geopolitical circumstances may ever arise again. There was a particular pessimism expressed about the possibility of replicating the Treaty in toto in the Arctic region. There was nonetheless a deep admiration for the Treaty, and for the visionary statesmen who - in Article IV - ensured the stability of the Treaty by basing it on an agreement to disagree about territorial claims on the continent.

Related Document

Publications and outputs from the treaty summit meeting

Speakers

Professor Paul Berkman Chair of the International Board for the Antarctic Treaty Summit
HSH. Prince Albert II of Monaco
Professor Paul Berkman Chair of the International Board for the Antarctic Treaty Summit
Professor Paul Berkman Chair of the International Board for the Antarctic Treaty Summit
Professor Paul Berkman Chair of the International Board for the Antarctic Treaty Summit
Professor Paul Berkman Chair of the International Board for the Antarctic Treaty Summit
Dr. Olav Orheim Senior Adviser, Research Council of Norway and Former Chair of the Committee on Environmental Protection, Norway
Professor David Walton Professor Emeritus, British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge, United Kingdom
Professor Oran Young Professor, Bren School of Environmental Science & Management, University of California Santa Barbara and Chair of the International Human Dimensions Programme on Global Environmental Change, United States
Professor Paul Berkman Chair of the International Board for the Antarctic Treaty Summit
Professor David Walton Professor Emeritus, British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge, United Kingdom
Professor Paul Berkman Chair of the International Board for the Antarctic Treaty Summit
Professor David Walton Professor Emeritus, British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge, United Kingdom