Law Commons^™

Equitable Considerations In The Delimitation Of The Continental Shelf, Murat Sümer

International Law Studies

The delimitation of the continental shelf is often regarded as one of the most controversial inter-State delimitation disputes due to the significant advantages it can offer to coastal States. Since the conception of the continental shelf regime, i.e., the 1945 Truman Proclamation, equitable considerations have been central to the delimitation of this zone, which has been consistently reflected in the jurisprudence and in UNCLOS.

As an umbrella instrument with a framework character, UNCLOS usually suffices to stipulate the fundamental norms and principles. This was also the case for the delimitation of the continental shelf. Article 83, whilst not prescribing a …

Article 76 Of The Un Convention On The Law Of The Sea: Parties And Non-Parties, Kevin A. Baumert

International Law Studies

One of the foremost contributions of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea is its Article 76 pertaining to the continental shelf. Article 76 defines the continental shelf and sets forth detailed rules for determining its outer limits. It also introduces the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf, one of the three institutions created by the Convention. This article addresses the universality of Article 76, in particular the degree to which its provisions are legally applicable to all States, including non-parties to the Convention. In doing so, the article considers the recent jurisprudence of the International …

The Impacts Of Sea Level Rise And The Law Of The Sea Convention: Facilitating Legal Certainty And Stability Of Maritime Zones And Boundaries, Davor Vidas, David Freestone

International Law Studies

It seems clear that the impacts of sea level rise were not contemplated by the drafters of the 1982 Law of the Sea Convention during UNCLOS III. Legal scholars began to identify these issues in the early 1990s but the establishment and work of the International Law Association (ILA) Committee on International Law and Sea Level Rise has drawn increased attention to the importance of this issue that is now being considered by a Study Group of the International Law Commission. This article traces the remarkable and swift evolution over the last decade of State practice on the interpretation of …

Venezuela’S Excessive Maritime Claims, Office Of The Staff Judge Advocate

International Law Studies

No abstract provided.

Does The Revised U.S. South China Sea Policy Go Far Enough?, Raul (Pete) Pedrozo

International Law Studies

The United States issued a statement on July 13, 2020, outlining the U.S. Position on Maritime Claims in the South China Sea. The statement supplements existing U.S. policy for the South China Sea, making clear that the People’s Republic of China’s claims to offshore resources across most of the South China Sea are unlawful. Still, the revised U.S. policy does not go far enough to contest China's faulty claims in the South China Sea. This article proposes specific issues that the revised U.S. policy should address.

Refining Japan’S Integrative Position On The Territorial Sovereignty Of The Senkaku Islands, Atsuko Kanehara

International Law Studies

China and Japan face a tense situation in the East China Sea over conflicting sovereignty claims to the Senkaku Islands. In order to cope with the situation appropriately and precisely, Japan needs to thoroughly analyze it from the dual perspectives of the law of the sea and the law of territorial acquisition. Japan denies any existence of a dispute with China over the territorial sovereignty of the islands. The legal effects of the existence of a “dispute” need to be understood and considered by Japan when it constructs its position from the perspectives of the law of the sea and …

China’S Revised Maritime Traffic Safety Law, Raul (Pete) Pedrozo

International Law Studies

China recently enacted amendments to its 1983 Maritime Traffic Safety Law, expanding its application from “coastal waters” to “sea areas under the jurisdiction of the People’s Republic of China,” a term that is intentionally vague and not defined. Many of the amendments to the law exceed international law limits on coastal State jurisdiction that would illegally restrict freedom of navigation in the South China, East China, and Yellow Seas where China is embroiled in a number of disputed territorial and maritime claims with its neighbors. The provisions regarding the unilateral application of routing and reporting systems beyond the territorial sea …

Is A South China Sea Code Of Conduct Viable?, Raul (Pete) Pedrozo

International Law Studies

For over twenty years, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has stonewalled efforts by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to negotiate a binding Code of Conduct that would form the basis for a peaceful and durable solution to the territorial and maritime disputes in the South China Sea (SCS). At the same time, the PRC engaged in a series of malign activities, to include the militarization of several reclaimed artificial islands, that have forever changed the landscape and status quo of the SCS. In 2020, the PRC unexpectedly called on ASEAN to resume the negotiations as soon as …

Enclosure Of The Oceans Versus The Common Heritage Of Mankind: The Inherent Tension Between The Continental Shelf Beyond 200 Nautical Miles And The Area, Michael W. Lodge

International Law Studies

The 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) is a major achievement of diplomacy in the late twentieth century and is rightly regarded as the “constitution for the ocean.” UNCLOS has withstood the test of time and has demonstrated its flexibility and adaptability to changing circumstances. Notwithstanding, there is an underlying tension at the heart of UNCLOS as it tries to reconcile two fundamentally different approaches—the exclusivity of coastal State jurisdiction versus the international character and shared space of the Area beyond national jurisdiction. As the search for mineral deposits in the Area intensifies, and as …

U.S. Recognition Of Japanese Sovereignty Over The Senkaku Islands, Raul (Pete) Pedrozo

International Law Studies

Every U.S. administration from Truman to Kennedy recognized Japanese residual sovereignty over the Senkaku Islands. U.S. policy changed, however, to one of neutrality under the Nixon administration during the negotiations of the Okinawa Reversion Treaty. The change in policy was not based on a belief that Japan did not retain sovereignty over the islands, but rather was done to appease the Republic of China over its impending expulsion from the United Nations and to break an impasse of the ongoing textile negotiations with Taipei. The administration’s overtures to China, culminating in Nixon’s visit to China contributed to the decision. Since …

Ukraine V. The Russian Federation: Navigating Conflict Over Sovereignty Under Unclos, NilüFer Oral

International Law Studies

Following Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, or according to Russia, its accession following a referendum, Ukraine brought several international cases against the Russian Federation, including two cases under Annex VII of UNCLOS: The Dispute Concerning Coastal State Rights in the Black Sea, Sea of Azov, and Kerch Strait in 2016 and The Detention of Three Ukrainian Naval Vessels in 2019. At the center of these disputes is the conflict between Ukraine and Russia over sovereignty of Crimea. Russia contested jurisdiction in all cases invoking different exceptions under UNCLOS, including the argument that the dispute concerns sovereignty over Crimea and …

Maritime Police Law Of The People’S Republic Of China, Raul (Pete) Pedrozo

International Law Studies

China’s new Maritime Police Law (MPL) purports to regulate the duties of China’s maritime police agencies, including the China Coast Guard, and safeguard China’s sovereignty, security, and rights and interest. The MPL has potentially far-reaching application, as China claims extensive maritime areas off its mainland and in the South China Sea. This expansive application of maritime law enforcement jurisdiction is problematic given that most of China’s maritime claims are inconsistent with international law. To the extent that the MPL purports to assert jurisdiction over foreign flagged vessels in disputed areas or on the high seas, it contravenes international law. Numerous …

Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships: New Possibilities—And Challenges—In Ocean Law And Policy, Joel Coito

International Law Studies

Landmark developments in autonomous vessel technology have the potential to deliver economic, environmental, and security benefits on the world’s oceans. Tempering the promise of that future is the stark reality that maritime autonomous surface ships (MASS) challenge the existing international order of the seas. This article examines the promise and perils of MASS in three areas of enduring significance to commercial vessels, naval forces, and industry regulators: search and rescue (SAR), maritime counterdrug operations, and navigational safety. This article concludes that autonomous vessel technology will lead to a superior global regime for maritime SAR operations, enhanced detection and interdiction of …

Questions Relating To The Continental Shelf Beyond 200 Nautical Miles: Delimitation, Delineation, And Revenue Sharing, Helmut Tuerk

International Law Studies

Article 76 UNCLOS provides a new definition of the legal continental shelf, which grants coastal States sovereign rights and jurisdiction extending to the outer edge of the continental margin. The broad-shelf States had to make two compromises to have that provision accepted, that is revenue-sharing for the benefit of the international community with respect to the continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles, enshrined in Article 82 UNCLOS, and the delineation of the outer limits of the continental shelf beyond that distance “on the basis of” recommendations by the CLCS, in order that these limits may become “final and binding.” In …

The Value And Viability Of The South China Sea Arbitration Ruling: The U.S. Perspective 2016–2020, Jonathan G. Odom

International Law Studies

In 2016, an international arbitral tribunal issued a landmark ruling addressing a number of international law issues in the South China Sea. Yet more than four years have passed since that ruling, and the South China Sea situation remains unresolved. The South China Sea arbitration ruling was a positive step in applying a rules-based approach to framing, managing and resolving some of these international disputes. Thus, the international community should reflect upon the value and viability of the arbitral tribunal’s ruling, to include viewing it from the current perspectives of individual States. This article provides a more detailed review and …

Introduction To The Indo-Pacific Command Paper Series, Raul (Pete) Pedrozo

International Law Studies

No abstract provided.

Air Defense Identification Zones, Office Of The Staff Judge Advocate

International Law Studies

No abstract provided.

Archipelagic States, Office Of The Staff Judge Advocate

International Law Studies

No abstract provided.

Military Activities In The Exclusive Economic Zone, Office Of The Staff Judge Advocate

International Law Studies

No abstract provided.

General Principles Of The Law Of The Sea, Office Of The Staff Judge Advocate

International Law Studies

No abstract provided.

U.S. Position On The U.N. Convention On The Law Of The Sea, Office Of The Staff Judge Advocate

International Law Studies

No abstract provided.

U.S. Protests China's Maritime Claims In The South China Sea, Office Of The Staff Judge Advocate

International Law Studies

No abstract provided.

Navigational Regimes, Office Of The Staff Judge Advocate

International Law Studies

No abstract provided.

U.S. Policy On The South China Sea, Office Of The Staff Judge Advocate

International Law Studies

No abstract provided.

China's Excessive Maritime Claims, Office Of The Staff Judge Advocate

International Law Studies

No abstract provided.

International Straits, Office Of The Staff Judge Advocate

International Law Studies

No abstract provided.

The South China Sea Arbitration Award, Office Of The Staff Judge Advocate

International Law Studies

No abstract provided.

U.S. Freedom Of Navigation Program, Office Of The Staff Judge Advocate

International Law Studies

No abstract provided.

The Regime Of Innocent Passage In Disputed Waters, Hitoshi Nasu

International Law Studies

The regime of innocent passage is a well-established body of customary international law. However, when there is a dispute over sovereign entitlement to a territorial sea or its outer limit, the applicability and legal effect of the regime are brought into question. This article considers the applicability of the regime of innocent passage and its legal effect in disputed waters by critically examining the relevant jurisprudence of international courts and tribunals that have dealt with territorial and maritime disputes. The efficacy of the findings from this analysis will then be evaluated from a legal policy perspective in the interest of …

Exclusion Zones In The Law Of Armed Conflict At Sea: Evolution In Law And Practice, Sandesh Sivakumaran

International Law Studies

This article analyses the changes in the law and practice of exclusion zones in the law of armed conflict at sea. It identifies three principal phases. First, it explores the exclusion zones of the Russo-Japanese War of 1904–1905, which were modest in size and defensive in character. Second, it turns to the exclusion zones of the First World War and several subsequent conflicts. The exclusion zones of this period were fundamentally different to those of the Russo-Japanese war: if a vessel was within an exclusion zone, it was deemed susceptible to attack. The article then turns to the third phase …