United States
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What will Antarctica become? A wilderness preserve? A scientific laboratory? A model of economic cooperation between industrial and developing countries? A polar oil field? Shapley fo cuses on the continent's role in international affairs as a resource contender. She also provides a detailed discussion of U.S. involvement in Antarctica, a timely account including recently declassified material. The Antarctic Treaty (1961), with 12 original signatory countries, has held the web of political interests in balance thus far, but many disparate forces now are impinging on the treaty – the developing nations and the UN, possible scientific secretiveness and rivalry over minerals, the increasingly active role of the Soviet Union. Shapley offers suggestions and solutions in this well-documented text.
"A superb book about Antarctica that successfully focuses on the continent's role in international affairs and also provides a beautifully written summary of the continent's history, science, resources, and politics."
- Issues in Science and Technology
