Time to Ratify UNCLOS: A New Twist on an Old Problem

摘要

Since the third United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) produced its seminal document in 1982, debate has ensued over whether ratification is in the best interest of the United States. Curiously, despite a preponderance of evidence to support ratification, and the backing of many high- ranking officials, some twenty-nine years later the United States remains a non- party to the convention. With an increased emphasis on multinational partnerships, this paper seeks to understand why the United States cedes international legitimacy by remaining outside UNCLOS, and proposes two areas where PACOM could leverage increased legitimacy to more effectively conduct shaping operations in the South China Sea.