ABSTRACT
A natural variant of the condominium option is a 'solution protocol' where condominium features apply in spaces where conventional territorial claims have been made. International treaties and agreements are usually historically contingent. Collaborative efforts have helped the high seas, the continent of Antarctica, the atmosphere and outer space to be perceived as res communis: non-exclusive, global commons. The four extant global commons are collectively bunched together in this chapter as expressions of the (temporary) suppression or suspension of sovereignty claims. These frontier sites constitute 'resource domains or areas that lie outside of the political reach of any one nation state'. Palan succinctly describes the process whereby a putative three-dimensional cage of state/national sovereignty has emerged. The continental island of Antarctica has no permanent residents; several states have had minimal contact with it throughout history; and it is thought to have the potential for vast mineral resources, which current technology renders increasingly accessible and exploitable.
