The Antarctic Minerals Negotiating Process

• Published in: American Journal of International Law
• Main Author: Joyner, Christopher C.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge University Press (CUP) 1987
• Subjects: Law; Political Science and International Relations; Antarctic; The Antarctic; Antarc*; Antarctica
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/2203415; https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0002930000214978

Since 1982, a select group of states has been engaged in a series of multilateral negotiations to fashion a regime governing the exploration and exploitation of minerals in the Antarctic region. Because of the controversy in the United Nations over whether Antarctica constitutes a portion of the “common heritage of mankind,” these negotiations have attracted increasing publicity, but their modus operandi has been left largely unexamined. The chief purpose of this paper is to analyze the process by which this group of concerned states has pursued national priorities within the decision-making framework and context of the Antarctic minerals negotiations.