Antarctica Could be The Epicenter of a Power Struggle
Geographically, the southernmost continent of Antarctica is surrounded by the Southern Ocean. The fifth-largest continent in the world has an area of about 5.5 million square miles. About 98 percent of the area is covered by dense snow; The almost permanently uninhabited continent is divided into East Antarctica and West Antarctica.
By the 1950s, seven states, Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, New Zealand, Norway, and the United Kingdom, had claimed territorial sovereignty over parts of the continent of Antarctica. The South Shetland Islands are located between Argentina, Chile, and the United Kingdom’s claimed territories. The United Kingdom, France, Australia, New Zealand, and Norway have recognized each other’s claimed territories.
Around the same time, the United States, the Soviet Union, Belgium, Germany, Poland, Sweden, Japan, and South Africa began exploring parts of Antarctica. Initially, the search operations of various states on the continent of Antarctica began cooperatively and peacefully. However, the discovery of economically important extravagant natural resources at different times during this exploration activity created a strong possibility of future competition between different states centered on the control of this continent. In this regard, the ‘International Year of Geophysics’ was observed from July 1, 1957, to December 31, 1958, as part of a joint scientific research effort between different states at the joint initiative of several international scientific organizations.
Theoretically, the sovereignty of the continent of Antarctica is considered to be neutral, not subordinate to any single country, and it is governed by the terms of the ‘Antarctic Treaty. Subsequently, several other countries of the world joined the treaty.
The treaty, which came into force on June 23, 1961, pledged not to make the continent of Antarctica the subject of any international dispute and promised to use it peacefully for the benefit of all humankind. In addition, the agreement called for increasing the scope of scientific research on the continent by increasing international scientific cooperation in the continent of Antarctica and the conservation and conservation of the biodiversity and natural resources of the continent of Antarctica. In the meantime, several states have set up permanent research centers on the continent of Antarctica.
The National Science Foundation of the United States, which works to implement basic research in science and engineering, has spent approximately 488 million USD to conduct the program on the continent of Antarctica in 2019-20. About 42 percent of the continent of Antarctica is considered part of the Australian Antarctic Agency. Australia is determined to position itself on this continent. The country has allocated approximately 190 million USD for 2020-21 Antarctic activities. Recently, however, Russia and China have taken various steps to increase their capabilities in the Antarctic continent, on par with Western nations. As a result, there is virtually no competition in the region for fishing, stored fuel oil, and mineral resources.
Although China was a party to the 1983 Antarctic Treaty, it has invested heavily in research and development in Antarctica. China has built four Antarctic stations in the 30 years since they signed the agreement. The country is working on constructing a fifth Antarctic station near the Ross Sea by 2022. In 2016, China and Russia took a stand against the contraction of fishing activities in the ecologically protected areas declared in some parts of the Ross Sea.
Krill is a hard-shelled small aquatic animal that plays an important role in the food chain of marine animals in the Antarctic. Increasing levels of krill prey are being considered a serious threat to the Antarctic ecosystem. Meanwhile, China’s Shanghai Chonghe Marine Industry is building the world’s largest trawler for krill hunting by 2023. Krill is used as an oil product in China, and it is expected that by 2025, the market value of this oil production will exceed 400 million USD.
On the other hand, Russia has far-reaching plans to increase its influence in Antarctica, like other influential states. Meanwhile, Russia’s state geological survey company Rosziologia has launched a feasibility study to obtain offshore oil and gas using state-of-the-art technology. India’s official activities in Antarctica began in early 1982. On the other hand, Pakistan is also making efforts to strengthen its activities in Antarctica. Also, Turkey plans to build its Antarctic station on the continent. Meanwhile, Iran is keen to launch operations in Antarctica.
The terms of the Antarctic Treaty are likely to be re-evaluated by 1948. Several states are currently in favor of relaxing existing restrictions on the extraction of natural resources on the continent of Antarctica. Acting on the continent of Antarctica, each state is demanding to conduct its activities for scientific research and peaceful implementation of the objectives. However, there may be conflicts of interest between rival nations on the continent. In such a scenario, only time will tell whether there will be a conflict between the superpowers over the territorial control of the continent of Antarctica.