United States foreign policy interests in the Antarctic

Abstract

This paper aims to examine US national interests in the Antarctic as they relate to contemporary American foreign policy objectives in the region. The paper poses two key questions: What are the dimensions of contemporary US national interests in the Antarctic? What possible developments by other Antarctic Treaty parties might undermine the ability of the United States to attain its national interest objectives in the region? The international peace and political stability established in Antarctica by the Antarctic Treaty parties remains indispensable for successful pursuit by the United States of its core interests in the region and has become an important objective in its own right. Continued leadership by the United States in Antarctic matters should continue to well serve US national interests in the Antarctic well into the twenty‐first century.