Unconventional Lawmaking in the Law of the Sea explores the ways that actors operating at the international level develop standards of behaviour to regulate varied maritime activities beyond traditional lawmaking. This 'soft law' is now prolific in ocean governance, so it is vital to consider its significance for the law of the sea
How does international law change? How does it adapt to meet global challenges in a volatile social and political context? The Many Paths of Change in International Law offers fresh, theoretically informed, and empirically rich answers to these questions. It traces drivers, conditions, and consequences of change across the different fields of international law and paints a complex and varied picture very much in contrast with the relatively static imagery prevalent in many accounts today. Drawing on inspirations from international law, international relations, sociology, and legal theory, this book explores how international law changes through means other than treaty-making. Highlighting the social dynamics through which different areas and institutional contexts have generated their own pathways, it presents a theoretical framework for tracing change processes and the conditions that affect their success. Based on this framework, each contribution illuminates the paths of change we observe in contemporary international law. The explorations centre on strategies, forms, forces, and social contexts and draw on primary source material and in-depth case studies. Overall, the volume offers a fascinating account of an international legal order in flux-with a dynamic not captured through traditional doctrinal lenses-and helps situate change processes and their varied implications in international law and politics. A relevant book for everyone wanting to understand change and its consequences in international law. This is an open access title. It is made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 International licence. It is available to read and download as a PDF version on the Oxford Academic platform.
The dispute settlement regime in the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) has been in operation for well over twenty years with a steadily increasing number of important cases. This significant body of case law has meaningfully contributed to the development of the so-called 'constitution of the oceans'. Judging the Law of the Sea focusses on how Judges interpret and apply UNCLOS and it explores how these cases are shaping the law of the sea. The role of the Judge is central to this book's analysis. The authors consider the role of UNCLOS Judges by engaging in an intensive study of the their decisions to date and assessing how those decisions have influenced and will continue to influence the law of the sea in the future. As the case law under UNCLOS is less extensive than some other areas of compulsory jurisdiction like trade and investment, the phenomenon of dispute settlement under UNCLOS is under-studied by comparison. Cases have not only refined the parameters for the exercise of compulsory jurisdiction under the Convention, but also contributed to the interpretation and application of substantive rights and obligations in the law of the sea. In relation to jurisdiction, there is important guidance on what disputes are likely to be subjected to binding third-party dispute resolution, which is a critical consideration for a treaty attracting almost 170 parties. Judging the Law of the Sea brings together an analysis of all the case law to the present day while acknowledging the complex factors that are inherent to the judicial decision-making process. It also engages with the diverse facets that continue to influence the process: who the Judges are, what they do, and what their roles might or should be. To capture the complex decision matrix, the authors explore the possible application of stakeholder identification theory to explain who and what counts in the decision-making process.
This new edition has been revised and updated to provide current and comprehensive coverage of essential issues of the international law of the sea in a systematic manner. This book presents two paradigms of the law of the sea: the law of divided oceans and the law of our common ocean. It covers contemporary issues, such as protection of the marine biological diversity, marine plastic pollution, the Arctic, and impacts of climate change on the oceans. Following the clear and accessible approach of previous editions, with many illustrations and tables, The International Law of the Sea continues to help students to best understand the law of the sea.
Praise for the previous edition: “A complete overview of the subject which does not intimidate the reader but rather spurns interest and understanding in the subject.” European Energy and Environmental Law Review “...(the book is) scholarly yet accessible and very readable; thoroughly recommended.” Law Institute Journal Description The law of the sea provides for the regulation, management and governance of the ocean spaces that cover over two-thirds of the Earth's surface. This book provides a comprehensive assessment of the foundational principles of the law of the sea, a critical overview of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and an analysis of subsequent developments including many bilateral, regional, and global agreements that supplement the Convention. The third edition of this acclaimed text has been thoroughly revised and updated, and now incorporates a dedicated chapter on natural and artificial islands. All of the main areas of the law of the sea are addressed including the foundations and sources of the law, the nature and extent of the maritime zones, the delimitation of overlapping maritime boundaries, the place of archipelagic and other special states in the law of the sea, navigational rights and freedoms, military activities at sea, marine scientific research, and marine resource and conservation issues such as fisheries, marine environmental protection and dispute settlement. The book also takes stock of contemporary oceans governance issues not adequately addressed by the Convention. Overarching challenges facing the law of the sea are considered, including how new maritime security initiatives can be reconciled with traditional navigational rights and freedoms, the need for stronger legal and policy responses to protect the global ocean environment from climate change and ocean acidification, and work on a new agreement for the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction.
“This volume brings together leading experts to examine the potentials for maritime conflict and cooperation in a region where geopolitical rivalries are intensifying. I highly recommend it to scholars, practitioners, and students alike.” —Miranda A. Schreurs, Professor, Technical University of Munich. “With an original approach to maritime conflicts that focuses on the effects of technological and environmental change, this is a must-read for anyone interested in East Asian peace and security!” — Stein Tønnesson, Research Professor Emeritus, Peace Research Institute Oslo “A crucial read for anyone interested in understanding the complexities of maritime conflicts in East Asia and their broader global implications.” —Yurika Ishii, Associate Professor, National Defense Academy of Japan “The volume offers multi-disciplinary perspectives that reach across disciplinary boundaries and connect perspectivesfrom natural sciences and engineering to social sciences and policy.” —Clive Schofield, Professor, University of Wollongong, Australia As technological development and diffusion have greatly increased the resources states can recover from maritime space, the stakes of these conflicts have grown. Nowhere is this clearer than in East Asia. This book examines how technological change and diffusion impact East Asian maritime conflicts, and approaches for conflict management and resolution. Paul Midford is Professor of Political Science, Meiji Gakuin University, Japan. Jennifer L. Bailey is Professor of Political Science, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Norway. Katja Levy is Associate Professor of Political Science, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Norway. Espen Moe is Professor of Political Science, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Norway.
This book conducts an examination of the international legal regime of the continental shelf through the lens of international relations (IR), with a primary focus on global governance theory. Presenting a new perspective within the field of IR and international law, the book offers new insights into the rules, principles, practices, and actors that establish and govern social interactions and the management of common affairs at the transnational level. The governance framework within the continental shelf can encompass a wider scope than legal laws alone, incorporating informal rules or potentially disregarding formal “black letter” rules that may not be effectively applied in practice. To exemplify how governance theory and other IR theories contribute to the analysis of the legal regime concerning the continental shelf, the book conducts an in-depth examination of three significant issues: (i) the demarcation and delimitation of the continental shelf, (ii) the rights and obligations of coastal States in the continental shelf, and (iii) procedural matters related to the continental shelf and international maritime adjudication. This book will be of interest to students and scholars in the field of the law of the sea, international law, global governance, and international relations.
This book examines law and governance implications in relation to maritime autonomous surface ships (MASS). Adopting a multi-disciplinary approach, it focuses on a wide array of timely, topical and thorny issues, including naval warfare and security, seaworthiness and techno-regulatory assessments, global environmental change, autonomous passenger transportation, as well as liability and insurance. It also considers selected national and regional developments. The book provides an insight into the role of innovation-diplomacy as the driving force that could expedite the transition from automation to autonomy. After navigating through the complex law and governance landscape, it concludes by assessing critical findings for further consideration. The book will appeal to scholars and students of maritime technology, law and governance. Chapter 11 and Chapter 18 are available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.
This wholly new edition of the Handbook provides an authoritative examination of international law relating to the protection of the marine environment. Chapters critically engage with current legal issues surrounding activities that harm the marine environment, including marine pollution, seabed activities, exploitation of marine biodiversity and climate change, and with the different legal tools and mechanisms, including environmental impact assessments and compliance and dispute settlement mechanisms, used to protect the marine environment. New chapters also address legal issues relating to the role of technology and marine scientific research as well as the application of principles such as public participation. This title contains one or more Open Access chapters.
