Melissa Idiens
MA (European Studies) 2009 -
Gateway Antarctica: A Route for the EU’s Global Political Agenda
Qualifications
- Postgraduate Certificate in Antarctic Studies, University of Canterbury (2009)
- Bachelor of Arts (First Class Hons) Political Science, University of Canterbury (2008)
- Bachelor of Arts Political Science, University of Canterbury (2007)
Room
National Centre for Research on EuropeRoom 449
Contact Details
melissa.idiens@pg.canterbury.ac.nz
mci18@uclive.ac.nz
Postal Address
c/o National Centre for Research on Europe
Level 4 Commerce Building
University of Canterbury
Private Bag 4800
Christchurch
New Zealand
Phone: +64 3 364 23486
Fax: +64 3 364 2634
Background
Originally from Christchurch, I have been a student of the University of Canterbury since 2005. In December 2008, I travelled to Scott Base with the New Zealand National Antarctic Programme (Antarctica New Zealand) and spent ten days camping on the Ross Sea Ice Shelf undertaking various tasks including taking critical ground-truthing measurements for the European Space Agency’s current CryoSat-2 project. This was a definite highlight of my university experience, and it afforded me a unique chance to comprehend issues from a multi-disciplinary approach, which is an incredibly useful tool for policy analysis.
In 2009 I was the first New Zealander, and the youngest in the history of the programme, to undertake a 3-month internship at the Secretariat of the Antarctic Treaty in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Awards
2011 EUCN Internship in the European Union Parliament scheduled for Sept-Nov 2011.
2010 Travel Award from the Canterbury Branch of the New Zealand Federation of Graduate Women’s Trust (NZFGWT) (used for conference travel to China).
2010 EUCN Travel Grant (used for conference travel to China and for a 10-week research trip to Scott Polar Research Institute (SPRI), Cambridge University, UK).
2010 COMNAP Intern and Rapportuer to the AGM in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
2009 EUCN Travel Grant (used for Internship at the Secretariat of the Antarctic Treaty).
2004 Christchurch Careers Expo Scholarship for undergraduate studies at the University of Canterbury.
2002 Lincoln Rotary Club Award for a secondary school student to attend the ‘Hands-On Science Summer Camp’, at the University of Otago, New Zealand.
Main Research Interests
International Relations; Global Governance; Polar Geopolitics; European Union Studies; New Zealand Politics.
Details of Research
Thesis title:
Gateway Antarctica: A Route for the EU’s Global Political Agenda.
Thesis key questions:
- How are institutional changes within the European Union changing the way that it participates in the international political sphere?
- How is this changing participation being reflected in international organisations such as the Antarctic Treaty System?
- How can the European Union utilise changing its participation in the Antarctic Treaty System to set a precedent for legitimising itself as global political actor in other international organisations?
As actors in global politics are shifting away from the traditional nation-state and towards more regional forms of governance, the dynamics of the international political sphere are changing. For the EU, which is striving to be a global political power in addition to its strength as an economic power, emerging legislation such as the Lisbon Treaty has effectively given the EU a single state-like legal personality, changing the way it participates in this global political system.
The ATS is an ideal stepping stone for legitimising EU membership into the more elusive mechanisms of global governance, such as the United Nations and Arctic Council, effectively acting as a gateway for the EU’s global political agenda. The key lies in the unique similarities of the ATS and the EU, both of which were founded on the principle that political instability caused by tensions over territory and resources needed to be addressed by creating a governance mechanism that would push aside the issue of territorial sovereignty. Since their initial treaties, each mechanism is characterised by overarching governance based on a regional approach.
Ultimately greater EU interaction in the ATS is inevitable; if not directly as a contracting party in its own right, then as the exertion of EU influence as executive competence in areas of policy that converge EU Member-States which are also contracting parties to the varies treaties in the ATS.
Currently the EU is only a contracting party in its own right to the Antarctic fisheries organisation CCAMLR, for which it maintains executive (but not exclusive) competence in the CCAMLR Commission. While there will be disadvantages (perceived or otherwise) with a visible increase in the EUs participation in the Antarctic region as a whole, the advantages will far outweigh any negative impacts.
One particular advantage that has been accelerated by the pressures from the recent global financial crisis, is the further pooling of resources of National Antarctic Programmes. Smaller programmes are increasingly finding that they have little capacity to operate on an individual basis, as short falls in monetary and human capital (as a knowledge-based resource) are increasingly meaning these states are committing to regional initiatives for Antarctic scientific research; for example EuroANDRILL as a new programme under the European Polar Board’s (EPBs) Polar Framework Initiative.
While larger National Antarctic Programmes may view a regional approach as a compromise of national sovereignty in the region (in particular claimant states such as the UK and France), realistically a regional approach will further secure the presence of these states via sovereignty by proxy, particularly where certain Antarctic territories are contested by other claimant states. And this is not a new concept in the Antarctic; the Australian and New Zealand Antarctic territories were claimed for the wider British Empire, in light of the British claim being contested by those of Chile and Argentina.
Additionally, these larger programmes will continue to operate in unison with regional efforts as they posses most of the resources and expertise essential for the operation and logistical support necessary for the development of newer regional programmes.
Despite the potential economic interest the EU may have in the Antarctic region, ultimately the inclusion of the EU will be beneficial, as a combined European approach would be more effective and efficient than smaller European national Antarctic programmes acting independently. This would ultimately lead to a concentration of funding for scientific research, polar expertise, and manpower, addressing the current shortfalls in national programmes, and leading to more effective outcomes and decisions on Antarctic affairs including policymaking, governance, and regulation.
Publications
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