Disarmament and International Security Committee (DISEC)World ...

Arctic region except for Denmark. Although Denmark
is a member, Greenland left the EU in 1985, and the
EU is therefore not entitled to share Greenland’s
claim to the Arctic.
Denmark
Denmark has claimed various areas of the Arctic
Ocean due to its control over Greenland. Greenland
has quintupled the number of exploitation licenses it
grants and expanded the area earmarked for oil and
gas exploration from 2,657 square miles to nearly
39,000 square miles. 79
United States
The United States is a non-party to the convention.
Consequently, it cannot participate as a member of
the commission nor can it submit a claim under Article
76. Over the past two decades, the U.S. has submitted
its own observations and reports on submissions
made by other states. 80 It has provided these reports
to the commission. in addition, since 2001, the u.S.
has gathered and analyzed data to determine the
outer limits of its extended continental shelf. In 2007,
this effort became an official government sponsored
program called the extended Continental Shelf
Project under the lead of the Department of State. 81
Some American observers have suggested
that coastal countries negotiate and adopt a new
framework to address the changing circumstances
in the Arctic. they maintain that the unprecedented
melting of the ice caps leading to potential disputes
over underwater resources was not envisioned at the
time the Law of the Sea Convention was negotiated.
Other observers have suggested that the Arctic region
above a certain latitude be designated a wilderness
area. they cite Article 4 of the Antarctic treaty as a
precedent. Article 4 states that any current claims
to sovereign territory are frozen, and “no acts or
activities taking place while the present Treat is in force
shall constitute a basis for asserting, supporting, or
denying a claim to territorial sovereignty in Antarctica
or create any rights of sovereignty in Antarctica. No
new claim, or enlargement of an existing claim, to
territorial sovereignty in Antarctica shall be asserted
while the present treaty is in force.” Still supporters
of the Law of Sea Convention argue that the
changing circumstances in the Arctic strengthen their
argument that the U.S. should become a party to the
convention.
Norway
The Norwegians have operated offshore fields
in the North Sea for decades. As these wells dry up,
the Norwegians are looking north for new supplies.
Being able to secure Arctic territory that could supply
potential oil and gas is of paramount importance for
Norway. After all, petroleum represented 31 percent
of Norway’s revenues in 2007 and 48 percent of its
exports. 82
China
Although historically China’s policy toward conflict
resolution has walked a fine line between unilateral
action and multilateral cooperation, recent actions
suggest a move toward bilateral cooperation.
China prefers the resolution of the South China Sea
conflict through bilateral agreements because of the
economic and political leverage it has over smaller
Southeast Asia countries.
Suggestions for Further Research
the sources i found most helpful were policy papers
written by academics and national organizations like
the European Commission. Furthermore, the research
reports compiled by international organizations were
very informative.
These are just suggestions. Feel free to explore
topics mentioned in more detail if you are interested
and to explore other topics mentioned only briefly.
The issue of sovereign debt has numerous aspects,
only a small part of which has been mentioned in this
guide.
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