ABSTRACT
In many respects, the Antarctic Treaty is an anomaly in international relations. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the way the Consultative Powers have chosen to handle the question of administration. In virtually every other regime or international organization, there is a central bureaucracy or secretariat. The United Nations secretariat in New York and Geneva and the secretariat of the European Community in Brussels are just two such examples. Although the primary function of any bureaucracy is its administrative responsibility, there is inevitably a secondary function that cannot be ignored. By establishing a secretariat, states create a political lobby within a system, regime or organization dedicated to the preservation of that arrangement. At the First Consultative Meeting, the question of administration filled two days with argument. Australia's desire for a permanent secretariat in Canberra received the support of New Zealand, South Africa and the UK.
