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Identifying national interests in Antarctica: the case of Canada

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 October 2009

Peter J. Beck
Peter J. Beck
Affiliation:
Faculty of Human Sciences, Kingston University, Penrhyn Road, Kingston upon Thames, Surrey KT1 2EE
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Abstract

During the past decade, most publications on Antarctic politics and law have concentrated upon broader developments at the Antarctic Treaty System (ATS) level. Less attention has been devoted to the nature of national interests in Antarctica and ways of balancing different policy objectives through time. Canada, though failing to accede to the Antarctic Treaty until 1988, offers a useful case study illuminating the broad range of interests influencing the policy of individual governments toward Antarctica, and particularly the reasons why states lacking clear national interests therein participate in the ATS. For Canada, Antarctica has always been viewed principally from an Arctic perspective. The resulting low priority of Antarctica explains Canada's initial non-involvement in the ATS. However, by the late 1980s, accession to the Antarctic Treaty was deemed desirable on policy grounds, even if Canada assumed only alow key role in the ATS, at least until 1994–1995, when the appointment of an Ambassador for Circumpolar Affairs was apparently followed by a more active bi-polar strategy.

Type
Articles
Information
Polar Record , Volume 32 , Issue 183 , October 1996 , pp. 335 - 346
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1996

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