The Antarctic Treaty (and subsequent treaties) forbid colonization. They also forbid extraction of useful resources from Antarctica, thereby eliminating one of the main motivations for colonization. They further forbid any profitable capitalist activity on the continent. So you can’t even do activities that would tend toward permanent settlement, like surveying to find mining opportunities, or opening a tourist hotel. Basically, the treaty system is set up so that not only can’t you colonize, but you can’t even get close to colonizing.
Northern Greenland is inhabited, and it’s at a similar latitude.
(Begin semi-joke paragraph) I think the US should pull out of the treaty, and then announce that Antarctica is now part of the US, all countries are welcome to continue their purely scientific activity provided they get a visa, and announce the continent is now open to productive activity. What’s the point of having the world’s most powerful navy if you can’t do a faitaccompli once in a while? Trump would love it, since it’s simultaneously unprecedented, arrogant and profitable. Biggest real estate development deal ever! It’s huuuge!
The Antarctic Treaty (and subsequent treaties) forbid colonization. They also forbid extraction of useful resources from Antarctica, thereby eliminating one of the main motivations for colonization. They further forbid any profitable capitalist activity on the continent. So you can’t even do activities that would tend toward permanent settlement, like surveying to find mining opportunities, or opening a tourist hotel. Basically, the treaty system is set up so that not only can’t you colonize, but you can’t even get close to colonizing.
Northern Greenland is inhabited, and it’s at a similar latitude.
(Begin semi-joke paragraph) I think the US should pull out of the treaty, and then announce that Antarctica is now part of the US, all countries are welcome to continue their purely scientific activity provided they get a visa, and announce the continent is now open to productive activity. What’s the point of having the world’s most powerful navy if you can’t do a fait accompli once in a while? Trump would love it, since it’s simultaneously unprecedented, arrogant and profitable. Biggest real estate development deal ever! It’s huuuge!