Arctic Exploration and International Law

1909 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 928-941
Author(s):  
James Brown Scott

The announcement on September 1, 1909, by Dr. Frederick A. Cook, that he had discovered the north pole on April 21, 1908, and the almost contemporary declaration on September 6th, of Robert A. Peary, of the United States Navy, in command of the Roosevelt, that he had discovered the north pole on April 6, 1909, are, if substantiated, not only international events and scientific achievements of the greatest interest and value, but the culmination of centuries of effort, directed not merely to reach the pole, but to shorten commercial routes by the discovery of a northwestern and northeastern passage, to advance our knowledge of arctic geography and to make known in a disinterested and scientific spirit, the flora, fauna, and the physical configuration of the arctic regions.

Author(s):  
Marina Minina ◽  

The similarity of the regions of the Russian Arctic and the state of Alaska in the United States in the climate, geographical and geopolitical terms is obvious. However, at the same time there are many differences, in many ways determining the level and quality of life of the population of these territories. The historical retrospective of the development of Siberian and northern lands development by the Russian people, who reached the strait between Asia and America and colonized part of the territory of North America, about the successful beginning and end of this "company" stretching for two centuries, some understanding of the need to develop new lands for the Russian man individually and the state as a whole, the article refers. Considering the situation of modern Russia and the United States of America in terms of the sustainable development of the northern, Arctic regions of both countries, an attempt is made to find possible ways to improve the financial situation of the indigenous peoples of the North and the non-native inhabitants of the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation by comparing constitutional approaches to socio-economic development and the area of environmental management of the Russian and American Arctic.


1910 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 265-275 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Willing Balch

The announcement of the discovery of the North Pole raised in several quarters, among others the British and the Canadian Parliaments, the question whether the act of discovery gave to the United States any right of possession over the North Pole.In searching for the answer to this question, it is necessary to ascertain the rules of the Law of Nations that govern analogous cases.


1979 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
pp. 402-427 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas M. Tynan

Wallace K. Ferguson, the noted Renaissance scholar, once wrote that history must be seen through the eyes of the one writing it. He went on to say that, “since history is in this sense created by the historian, and he, in turn, is the product of his age and environment, history varies from generation to generation and must be constantly reinterpreted.” It is with this thought in mind that we will undertake a reexamination of the role of the Arctic in Canadian-American relations.In recent years the Arctic has become a region of growing significance for both the United States and Canada after decades of marginal interest bordering on neglect. It is this article's position that Canadian foreign policy, concerning the Arctic regions to the north of her mainland, has consistently from 1880 to 1970 been based upon a perception of potential threats, which in fact never existed. Furthermore, such a perception has been based in part upon the unsettled nature of international law in the Arctic and the effect of certain environmental factors, labeled as domestic sources of foreign policy in Dale Thomson and Roger Swanson's Canadian Foreign Policy: Options and Perspectives. The article, then, shows how Canadian foreign policy in this issue-area illustrates the Sprout's paradigm of perception in decision-making. According to this paradigm, “what matters in policymaking (and, of course, in analysis thereof) is how the human policymaker (or group) perceives, interprets and responds to the environing conditions and events.”


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brandon C. Halaychik

The Russian Federations drive to reestablish itself as a global power has severe security implications for the United States, its Arctic neighbors, and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization as a whole. The former Commander of United States Naval Forces Europe Admiral Mark Ferguson noted that the re-militarization of Russian security policy in the Arctic is one of the most significant developments in the twenty-first century adding that Russia is creating an “Arc of steel from the Arctic to the Mediterranean” (Herbst 2016, 166). Although the Russian Federation postulates its expansion into the Arctic is for purely economic means, the reality of the military hardware being placed in the region by the Russians tells otherwise. Implementation of military hardware such as anti-air defenses is contrary to the stipulated purposes of the Russian Government in the region. Therefore is the Russian Federation building strategic military bases in the Arctic to challenge the United States hegemony due to the mistreatment against the Russians by the United States and NATO after the collapse of the Soviet Union.


1959 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 141-152

This paper, prepared by the Hydrographic Office of the United States Navy Department, and based on recent American experience, was originally printed on the back of the April 1958 Pilot Chart of the North Atlantic Ocean. It is reproduced here by kind permission of the Hydrographer of the United States Navy. A less extensive treatment of the subject, to which readers may like to refer, was given by L. R. R. Foster in the Journal in 1952 (‘Some Recent Work on Polar Navigation’, 5, 12). Figs. 1–12 are reproduced from the Polar Record (8, 1956–7) by kind permission of the Scott Polar Research Institute, Cambridge.The first requisite of the embryonic ice pilot is to develop a healthy respect for the tremendous power of the ice. He must never permit the peaceful appearance of an ice-field to lull him into a false sense of security. On the other hand, he need not fear the ice, since a great deal of progress through ice can be made by a vessel in capable hands.


Polar Record ◽  
1937 ◽  
Vol 2 (13) ◽  
pp. 59-68 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Hadwen

In reading of Arctic exploration one is struck with the ill-fate which has often beset the dogs accompanying the explorers. Recently Baashuus-Jessen (1935) has carefully studied the accounts of many of these important expeditions and, according to this author, the lack of proper food containing right amounts of fat, minerals and vitamins was the principal cause of nervous diseases and malnutrition in the animals. In the Arctic and Antarctic regions, nevertheless, some most successful journeys have been accomplished with the aid of dogs. Unfortunately, it should be added that though the explorers reached their goals, it was often at the expense of their animals. Without doubt, also, when a stage is reached where dogs have to be sacrificed to feed the living, the latter are not in much better condition than those which were killed. Personally I should like to see or hear of an expedition, to one of the Poles or to some other place difficult of access, where all the dogs would return in good condition, to show the world what could be done with proper food and management. This article has been written for the Institute in the hope that the information about sledge-dogs may be of some assistance to those about to undertake expeditions in the Arctic regions. In this connection I should like to say that no other domesticated animal can withstand the hardships of the north better than the dog. He can follow man wherever he goes, and I have wondered why he is not more used, for instance, in mountaineering at the lower levels. The dog, being a native animal, winters well if he is properly fed, and should be at his best when the days begin to lengthen, which is just the time of year long journeys are undertaken. I will conclude by hoping that some of our young men will make a study of this matter: first of all by getting a thorough understanding of the mechanical laws involved in traction and harnessing; secondly, in working out balanced rations with the food available in the different countries where the dogs are to be driven, and also by making a study of hygiene and of preventive measures against disease and parasites; and lastly, by getting some actual practice in dog driving.


Author(s):  
Francisco Trujillo García-Ramos ◽  

The command crisis as a story line has been used in many references of the cinema war genre throughout years, but it is in the stories framed under the surface of the sea where it can reach its greatest destabilization capacity. The films of the subgenre suggested to exemplify this study are the North American Run Silent Run Deep (Robert Wise, 1958) and Crimson Tide (Tony Scott, 1995). Both films were produced during a post-war era and narrate the rivalry of a commander and his executive officer in wartime submarines of the United States Navy. Commanding problems severely affect the ecosystem of the ships, creating a struggle for control during patrol. By means of observation, the relationship between History and these films will be analysed, as much as the strategy and narrative process with the objective of verifying keys in the use of the plot.


Politik ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Morten Larsen Nonboe

Russian foreign policy in the increasingly important Arctic region reflects an ambiguous combination of assertiveness and cooperation in accordance with international law. Against this background, the existing literature on the Arctic tends to polarise around revisionist and status quo interpretations of Russian foreign policy in the region. The present paper contrasts the divergent interpretations through case studies of the Russian flag planting on the North Pole seabed in 2007 and Russia’s participation at the Ilulissat Summit in 2008 which can be seen as ‘crucial’ cases for the competing interpretations. Overall, the case studies provide support for a modidied version of the status quo interpretation which incorporates insights from the revisionist interpretation. 


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