Program Highlights the NEW Law of the
Sea
Our January, 1997 Annual Meeting section program featured a roundtable discussion on "The
NEW Law of the Sea: What It Is and How to Teach It." Participants examined the current
status of the 1982 Convention in international and U.S. law, and examined various aspects of the
subject such as national security issues, the environment, fishing, seabed mining and dispute
settlement. Also, the future prospects of U.S. ratification were explored. Discussion focused on
what LOS subjects should be taught in what kind of courses, and how to teach them. Participants
included: Eric Fersht (Department of Defense), Ashley Roach (Department of State), Professor
Louis Sohn (George Washington), Maria Frankowska (Southern Illinois), John Noyes (California
Western), Alison Rieser (Maine), and Robert Lutz (Southwestern). In particular, navigation
issues, dispute settlement, fishing, the recent Implementation Agreement, and future areas of
ocean law development were discussed.
Two useful websites were identified during the program. The UN site on the Law of the Sea
provides information on a number of UNCLOS matters, including ratification information. The
U.S. Defense Technical Information Center was identified as a source for a detailed annotation
of the UNCLOS, but some searching once you get there is apparently required.
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