The Consequences of Regionalization in the Treaty and Customary Law of the Sea

Abstract:     
This essay, presented at the 1977 Annual Conference of the Law of the Sea Institute in Hawaii, discusses the consequences of regionalization on the treaty and customary law of the sea. The essay addresses five questions: (1) What are the prospects for regionalization in the law of the sea? (2) What are likely to be the “pros” and “cons” of any further development of regionalism? (3) Does regionalism pose any problems of international law? (4)What are likely to be the broader consequences of any development of regionalism? (5) What, if anything, might we do to increase the likelihood that regionalism will have desirable rather than undesirable consequences for a global system of ocean management? While this paper was delivered at a time prior to the conclusion of the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, its discussion of the broader and persistent issues of regionalization concerning the law of the sea may be of continuing relevance.

Number of Pages in PDF File: 12

Keywords: law of the sea, ocean affairs, regionalism, ocean management, regional arrangements, regional organization

JEL Classification: K32, K33, K40

Accepted Paper Series