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In his testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee last month, former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld urged legislators to reject the 30-year-old Law of the Sea Treaty, saying it would force the United States "to pay royalties to less productive countries, based on rhetoric about the common heritage of mankind." Astonishingly, Mr. Rumsfeld's Senate testimony contradicts the advice his own Defense Department gave President George W. Bush in the early 2000s. The former defense secretary seemed to be in a time warp, harking back to his mission of 30 years ago during the Reagan presidency, completely dismissing the treaty's 1994 renegotiation.
[ More ]The United Nations Law of the Sea Treaty now has 34 senators opposed to it and thus lacks the Senate votes needed for U.S. ratification, a key opponent of the treaty announced Monday. But the treaty’s main Senate proponent denies the treaty is sunk, saying plenty of time still exists to win support before a planned late-year vote.
[ More ]While heads were spinning over last week’s decision by a conservative justice to uphold President Obama’s health care law, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee was practicing its own version of Opposite Day.
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China is using government funds to stockpile rare earth minerals amid concerns its reserves are running low, a state newspaper has reported. According to the China Securities Journal the stockpiling is already well underway, and most likely began a while before the country published a white paper on 20 June announcing the extent of its dwindling supplies and suggesting it would build a strategic reserve.
[ More ]The author argues that the Senate should respect the wishes of "the commanders on the ground" and ratify the Law of the Sea.
[ More ]Arguments for and against U.S. accession to the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea are expected to become even more heat- ed as the end of 112th Congressional session nears.
[ More ]American businesses are urging the United States to ratify the UN Law of the Sea Treaty, saying it is needed to boost crucial domestic energy production and end China’s near-monopoly on rare earths.
[ More ]The author looks at the challenges faced by the U.S. Navy in trying to balance against China in the Asia-Pacific region and advocates for ratifying the Law of the Sea which would provide the U.S. "with an international legal framework to influence China through inclusion and demand their cooperation on issues such as the South China Sea."
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At a Senate Committee on Foreign Relations hearing last week, Senator Sen. James Risch (R-ID) and Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK) treated six four-star Generals and Admirals testifying in favor of ratifying the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) with hostility before questioning their motives and honesty.
[ More ]The author challenges the claims of opponents of UNCLOS that U.S. ratification would impact its sovereignty and argues that ratification is crucial for protection of freedom of navigation rights.
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