Reap the Bounty ; U.S. Should Join Law of the Sea Convention

Summary

---

From the earliest days of its history, the United States has relied on the bounty and opportunity of the seas for sustenance, for economic development, for defense and for communication and interaction with the rest of the world. Today, as the world's strongest maritime power and a leader of global maritime commerce, the United States has a compelling national interest in a stable international legal regime for the oceans. The time has come to take action to protect and advance the nation's national security, economic and environmental interests in the maritime domain - through accession to the Convention on the Law of the Sea.

The convention entered into force in 1994 and now has more than 150 parties. It supports and strengthens navigational rights essential to global mobility and it clarifies and confirms important oceans freedoms. U.S. accession to the convention would put the maritime security and economic rights the nation enjoys on the firmest legal footing.

See the full content of this document

Extract

---

Reap the Bounty ; U.S. Should Join Law of the Sea Convention

Accession makes sense from a national security perspective. This is a critical time for America and our friends and allies - faced with a wider and more complex array of...

See the full content of this document

---