It doesn’t exercise self-restraint … a lot of people are surprised they went for the whole enchilada. – Michael Byers

The media reactions to Denmark’s Arctic seabed filing with the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf have been predictable: Politicians and pundits have decried the potential for Denmark’s outrageous sea-grab to start a new era of aggression in the region, while these pundits are promoting just such a scramble by framing the Danish filing in these terms. Meanwhile, scholars and lawyers have been noting that a) the rights that would accrue to Denmark in its ‘portion’ of the Arctic seabed if these limits were agreed upon would be quite limited; b) the filling was a statement of scientific findings which Denmark is aware will likely be reduced (presumably through a peaceful process) as countries with overlapping claims resolve their differences; and c) since the North Pole has no…