Security at Sea

The Case for Ratifying the Law of the Sea Convention

This article argues that the US should ratify the Law of the Sea Convention (LOSC) and analyzes the potential losses from failing to do so. The author notes that although the US has successfully protected its maritime interests without ratifying the treaty, this is unlikely to be the case in the future. The argumentation is based on the growing importance of the maritime domain to US interests and the rapidly changing global security environment. By forgoing LOSC the US loses the ability to participate in international discussions and to make internationally recognized claims on the matter.

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