Maps have meaning: why does a recent Argentine map have potential implications for Antarctic governance?

Abstract

ABSTRACT The Antarctic Treaty System (ATS) is considered a successful regime governing the Antarctic region. This success is principally based on Article IV of the Antarctic Treaty which has suspended disruptive arguments about territorial claims in Antarctica. However, the ATS is not the only regime governing this region. The interplay between the ATS with other regimes such as the Law of the Sea within the ‘Antarctic regime complex’ (i.e. the variety of different overlapping and non-hierarchical institutions and regimes governing the Antarctic region) may challenge Antarctic governance. The amendment to Argentinian legislation on ‘Maritime Spaces' and the publication of a map that incorporates to the Argentine territory the coordinates of the continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles have recently sparked political tension between Argentina and Chile regarding their overlapping claims to territory in the Antarctic Peninsula. By assessing the Argentine legislation and map, and Chile’s reaction to these events, this article aims to examine the institutional interplay between the ATS and the Law of the Sea regime within the ‘Antarctic regime complex'. The article concludes that this interplay has potential implications for Antarctic governance and proves that the national concerns over territorial claims in Antarctica still impact States’ behaviour.