In this Council Special Report, Scott G. Borgerson explores an important element of the maritime policy regime: the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. He examines the international negotiations that led to the convention, as well as the history of debates in the United States over whether to join it. He then analyzes the strategic importance of the oceans for U.S. foreign policy today. The report ultimately makes a strong case for the United States to accede to the Convention on the Law of the Sea, contending that doing so would benefit U.S. national security as well as America's economic and environmental interests. Among other things, the report argues, accession to the convention would secure rights for U.S. commercial and naval ships, boost the competitiveness of American firms in activities at sea, and increase U.S. influence in important policy decisions, such as adjudications of national claims to potentially resource-rich sections of the continental shelf.

"May 2009."--T.p.

This book is open access under a CC BY-NC 4.0 license. It explores the diverse phenomena which are challenging the international law of the sea today, using the unique perspective of a simultaneous analysis of the national, individual and common interests at stake. This perspective, which all the contributors bear in mind when treating their own topic, also constitutes a useful element in the effort to bring today’s legal complexity and fragmentation to a homogenous vision of the sustainable use of the marine environment and of its resources, and also of the international and national response to maritime crimes.The volume analyzes the relevant legal frameworks and recent developments, focusing on the competing interests which have influenced State jurisdiction and other regulatory processes. An analysis of the competing interests and their developments allows us to identify actors and relevant legal and institutional contexts, retracing how and when these elements have changed over time.

Maritime Security and the Law of the Sea examines the rights and duties of states across a broad spectrum of maritime security threats. It provides comprehensive coverage of the different dimensions of maritime security in order to assess how responses to maritime security concerns are, and should be, shaping the law of the sea. The discussion canvasses passage of military vessels and military activities at sea, law enforcement activities across the different maritime zones, information sharing and intelligence gathering, as well as armed conflict and naval warfare. In doing so, this book not only addresses traditional security concerns for naval power but also examines responses to contemporary maritime security threats, such as terrorism, weapons of mass destruction, piracy, drug-trafficking, environmental damage and illegal fishing. While the protection of sovereignty and national interests remain fundamental to maritime security and the law of the sea, there is increasing acceptance of a common interest that exists among states when seeking to respond to a variety of modern maritime security threats. It is argued that security interests should be given greater scope in our understanding of the law of the sea in light of the changing dynamics of exclusive and inclusive claims to ocean use. More flexibility may be required in the interpretation and application of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea if appropriate responses to ensure maritime security are to be allowed.

The South China Sea region contains potentially huge deposits of petroleum and natural gas, important shipping lanes and fishing areas, and is subject to a number of maritime territorial disputes. This edited volume analyzes the most recent development in the South China Sea dispute looking at the positions taken by China, the ASEAN countries, and the US. In recent years maritime joint development zones have emerged as an important means to overcome deadlock in relation to maritime jurisdictional claims. This book tests the applicability of joint development regime in this region and explores the prospect of joint development of resources as a way to successfully manage the conflict in the South China Sea. Eminent scholars in the field of South China Sea studies have contributed original chapters to the volume covering such issues as: the legal framework for joint development; how joint development might work in practice; the challenges faced by and the prospects arising from joint development; and the way forward for the region.

The 1982 U.N. Convention of the Law of the Sea took over a decade to produce and was the final result of the largest single international negotiating process undertaken before or since that time. As the world's leading maritime nation, the U.S. has vital, immediate, national interests in the Convention and in the continuing refinement of maritime law based upon the tenets of that comprehensive document. The present work describes in detail the concurrent development of international law and the law of the sea, the complex negotiating process that resulted in the completed Convention, the role of the U.S. both during the Law of the Sea Convention and during the decade of negotiation that finally made the Convention acceptable, and policy directions and issues for the U.S. in the post-Convention environment. This is an important new text in international law, international relations, and maritime affairs.