Polar policies of the UK in the context of classical realism and neo-realism

Classical Realist theory which is accepted as the basic theory of international relations, and Neo-Realist theory, which is accepted as a new perspective of the theory afterwards, are especially important for understanding and explaining the state behaviours. Starting with Geographical Discoveries and then with the economic benefits of the Industrial Revolution, the United Kingdom has emerged as a leading actor on the world scale and this situation has also influenced the Arctic and Antarctic regions. In these regions, which have a large geographical area, the UK has been conducting research activities for centuries. The politics of the country about the Arctic and Antarctica have been maintained in a dynamic way. The UK is looking for ways to increase its national interests on these territories, creating regional strategies and policies. In this study, firstly it is aimed to analyse the Classical Realism and Neo-Realism theories in a detailed ways. In the following section, UK's discovery actions on Poles are grounded historically with the change effect which has came by Geographical Discoveries and Industrial Revolution. Finally, it is aimed to evaluate the UK's present and future Polar Policies in terms of both Classical Realist and Neo-Realist theories.