International Law and Politics in US Policymaking: The United States and the Svalbard Dispute

This article explains the position(s) of the United States in the maritime dispute adjacent to Svalbard. While the United States has regarded Norway’s exclusive claim to the natural resources outside Svalbard as everything from “wishful thinking” to legally plausible, Washington maintains that it may have rights under the 1920 Svalbard Treaty to exploit the maritime zones adjacent to the archipelago. The U.S. reservation is the result of assessments and reassessments of legal considerations as well as national interests.