What if I told you there was a continent that completely prohibited any military action involvement what so ever. Well it has happened, in Antartica. The meat of the article, International Spaces Promote Peace* published November 25th 2009, is the Antartic Treaty and its monumental leap towards World cooperation on the foundation of science and environmental exploration. In the first paragraph of the article the author revels very clearly what side of the argument he is on and he sticks to his opinion throughout the entire piece; actually never addressing the counter argument. He’s being loyal to his team, as my coach would say. His writing on this section of Nature is actually celebratory, remembering the anniversary of the signing (mine was February 13th 2008 in case you were wondering).He then goes on to praise the political concurrence and explain a little of the history behind the agreement for those who didn’t know what it was.
He presents the Cold War Era, which is a really cool time if you like missiles and stuff, as the frightful occasion before the treaty was signed. He reminds his audience that nuclear tensions were high and important decisions needed to be made; in other terms it was either drive hard left or shot the three and hope for the best. He also mentions the failed agreement between the US and theSoviet Union, or the “open skies” proposal that would allow cooperation between the nations. Consequently the treaty was introduced and all was better in the world; or so the article goes. He talks about how the Treaty, signed in1959, banned any military action on the continent of Antarctica, as well as any mining and should be used for environmental reasons only. It demonstrates to the whole world how “common interests could be used to overcome distrust.” By the way if you’re having trouble with the ladies pull that line about overcoming distrust; girls eat that shit up! Anyway, he ends the article on a strong personal note reinforcing the idea that the Antarctic Treaty has used science as a tool of diplomacy; one of the first documents like itself in the history of the World, like Michael Jordan was to the NBA. His last sentence reads “reflecting on the lasting legacy and lessons of the Antarctic Treaty during its first fifty years, 1 December deserves to be celebrated as a day of peace for all mankind,” so clearly the dudes into it.
Due to the magnitude of the previous article it is quite hard to find a dissenting argument, however I being Tyler Johnson have managed to pull it off. The article, Japanese Whaling Supply Ship Found, tells its audience that the Japanese have recently been in violation of the treaty due to whaling off the coast of Antarctica as well as refueling ships at sea in restricted areas, and they are sorta angry about it. Now I know breaking the law is kinda cool but come on man you don’t f with the environment. The author states that the ship, The Oriental Bluebird, is currently docked at Shimonoseki and is set to depart next week on a "so-called" scientific whale hunt back into the same oceans. Reports have also said that the Japanese government will invest 8 million dollars to sending a Coast Guard fleet to protect these whaling ships, did you know Julius Peppers makes double that at 16 million per year. Anyway these actions are in direct violation of the treaty, as those military units are prohibited within the area; come on even I got that one. The author makes it clear that despite signing the treaty the Asian government believes that these whalers are vital to their economy and are doing everything “legal” in their power to continue their crooked business and choose to overlook the inspirational treaty. It has not yet been said what will be done to stop this endangerment of the polar environment but the US government is making a game plan.
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