Description
The idea of that the United States and China are in a ‘great power competition’ and that competition extends to the ‘cislunar environment’ has become a domineering rhetorical paradigm, at least within the United States. Much of this focuses on the strategic importance of ‘cislunar space’ and the potential resource wealth of the Moon. This paper will explore the similarities between current discussions over future lunar governance and the discussions over Antarctic governance after the Second World War. It draws on archival work I have been undertaking on the Antarctic minerals regime. One aspect of consideration will be whether ‘lunar heritage protection’ will serve a similar function as ‘environmental protection’ served in Antarctica in diffusing the geopolitical value of Antarctic resources or whether the nature of the present geopolitical competition will see the establishment of lunar ‘forts’ to protect claims to future, and largely imaginary, resource potentials.