U.S. ratification of UNCLOS is key to its widespread acceptance and ratification by other nations
When all is said and done, the United States is a maritime nation tied to the oceans and the intelligent use of the seas for political, economic, and military purposes. More so than any other nation, the United States will benefit from stability in laws governing the use of the seas, and this stability over the long term can best be protected by a widely ratified Law of the Sea Convention. Accession to the convention by the United States will not be a panacea; its rules are not perfect. Widespread ratification, however, is likely to increase order and predictability, facilitate measured adaptation to new circumstances, encourage accommodation of interests, narrow the scope of disputes to more manageable proportions, and provide means to resolve them.41 Clearly, the United States holds the key to this widespread ratification.