Does Washington's failure to ratify the Law of the Sea Treaty harm U.S. economic and national security interests? Recent events highlight what is at stake: rights to lay claims to oil and gas reserves in the Arctic and mineral interests in the deep seabed, rights to lay and maintain submarine cables for military and economic purposes, and rights of the U.S. Navy and our allies to maintain navigational freedom in waters around the globe. The United States has a key strategic interest in supporting the settled rules of the Law of the Sea Convention, but our failure to ratify the Treaty does undermine our ability to persuade other countries to abide by these norms. Join us for a discussion of the potential economic and security hazards of this failure.
