The purpose of this book is to examine the recent developments which have taken place within the Antarctic Treaty System (ATS) and to assess their effectiveness and legitimacy. It is, then, apparent that this is not a “lawyers’ “ critique of the system but a study in international relations and regime theory. The work has five parts, the first comprising a general introduction to the methodology employed in the study and drawing the distinction between effectiveness and legitimacy which lies at the heart of its structure and analysis. This section is of considerable importance to the legal reader who otherwise might feel ill-equipped to tackle the substance of the