US has permanent seat on ISA but not a veto and it could be overruled by regional blocs

The new International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea is supposed to offer dispassionate adjudication of disputes. Yet membership is decided by quota: Each “geographical group” is to have at least three representatives.8 In its early days the Tribunal served as a dumping ground for frustrated LOST politicos such as Cameroon’s Paul Engo and Tanzania’s Joseph Warioba, both of whom once had hoped to become the Authority’s Secretary-General. Many of the specific “fixes,” such as to the voting system, are inadequate. According to the revised treaty, the United States would be guaranteed a seat on the Council but no veto. The Council would consist of four chambers, any one of which could block action if a majority of its members voted no. Although the U.S. might be able to round up the necessary votes to form a majority in its chamber, it could not prevent other nations from blocking required ISA business in the other chambers on such matters as approval of rules for mining applications.