One way to grow our Union

America just picked up one million square kilometers of territory

Jim and Sara Nuttle illustration from “America’s New Map”

EARTH.COM: The U.S. just expanded its territory by one million square kilometers

RFE/RL: Under Sea, Under Stone

THE HILL: Conflicts over seabed rights are only going to get worse — here’s why 

The United States, despite never having ratified the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), arguably one of the most successful global treaties in history. From the Congressional Research Service:

The United Nations (U.N.) Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) established a comprehensive international legal framework to govern activities related to the global oceans. UNCLOS often is referred to as the constitution of the oceans. The convention was agreed to in 1982 and entered into force in 1994, after the Agreement Relating to the Implementation of Part XI of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (commonly referred to as the 1994 Agreement) amended many of the deep-seabed resources provisions that several industrialized nations found objectionable.

In 1994, President Clinton submitted UNCLOS and the 1994 Agreement as a package to the Senate for its advice and consent. To date, the Senate has not given advice and consent to accession to the convention and ratification of the 1994 Agreement. The Senate Committee on Foreign Relations has considered UNCLOS, most recently in the 112th Congress, when the committee held several hearings. The committee took no further action, and UNCLOS has since remained with the committee.

This is a classic behavior pattern for the US: we encourage the big treaty, get pissed at certain provisions, and then bail while still largely adhering to the spirit and letter of the agreement. We likewise did this with the International Criminal Court.

Rules for thee and not for me.