India and the Emerging Geopolitics of the Antarctic

Abstract

The Antarctic is emerging as a new space for geopolitical contestations. Politicisation of discussions during annual Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meetings and emerging aspirations of countries to dominate the region pose significant challenges to Antarctic governance. China’s expanding footsteps through its new research bases with dual-use critical infrastructures and its increasing interest in fishing and other Antarctic resources raise global concerns. In this existing model of Antarctic governance, with possibilities and probabilities of structural changes in the future, there are several key areas where India needs to prioritise its engagements to fulfil its broader national interests in the Antarctic.

Keywords:

• Antarctic
• krill fishing
• Antarctic bioprospecting
• critical technologies
• Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meetings

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

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27. Ibid.

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37. Ibid., point number 175.

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41. Ibid.

42. India’s first expedition to Antarctic started on 6 December1981 and it reached the Antarctic on 9 January1982.

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44. Manish Poswal, ‘India Plans New Research Station in East Antarctica Near Maitri Base’, 22 December 2023, at https://ddnews.gov.in/national/india-plans-new-research-station-east-antarctica-near-maitri-base (Accessed 28 December 2023).

45. The Gazette of India, The Indian Antarctic Act, 2022, Ministry of Law and Justice, 6 August 2022 at https://prsindia.org/files/bills_acts/acts_parliament/2022/The%20Indian%20Antarctic%20Act,%202022.pdf (Accessed 20 December 2023).

46. Biological prospecting (or bioprospecting) is the exploration of natural areas in search of native organisms that can be used in commercial products ranging from pharmaceutical and medical technologies to cosmetics and personal care.

47. Anne-Marie Brady, no. 23. p. 194.

48. Volza Grow Global, ‘World Krill Imports’, 19 December 2023 at https://www.volza.com/p/krill/import/ (Accessed 27 December 2023)

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52. Kees Bastmeijer, Akiho Shibata, Luis Valentin Ferrada, Luis Valentin Ferrada and Evan T. Bloom, ‘Regulating Antarctic Tourism: The Challenge of Consensus-Based Decision Making’, American Journal of International Law, 29 June 2023, at https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/american-journal-of-international-law/article/regulating-antarctic-tourism-the-challenge-of-consensusbased-decision-making/0C15F58F0EDA9100BB240DE9E3C3E56C (Accessed 21 December 2023).

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54. ‘The Indian Antarctic Act, 2022’, The Gazette of India, no. 45, 8 August 2022.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Bipandeep Sharma

Bipandeep Sharma is a research analyst with the Non-Traditional Security Centre at MP-IDSA, New Delhi. He is also a doctoral candidate in the Department of Political Science at Panjab University, Chandigarh.