Seat on CLCS council valuable in that it allows US to take part in discussions and engage other participants

A seat on the Continental Shelf Commission (CSC) is not an exercise in veto power as the author correctly pointed out. It is far better than that. It is a way to understand intimately and firsthand what other states on the Commission are thinking, planning, and implementing.ⁿ⁵⁰ Without a seat the US has neither eyes nor ears. This means as a matter of practicality that informal networking, so essential in international law, is greatly restricted. Hence such a seat provides the government valuable strategic intelligence for little cost. The collective arguments the author puts forward against the seat are conservative and minimalist and perhaps even non-purposive and deconstructionist. His arguments provide no substantive basis for not being on the Commission. Membership would not harm the US. It would provide a good deal of potential advantage. We believe that it would be better to have a representative at the table who would understand and report on the dynamics of the CSC instead of being excluded and having the government read about the CSC's works in the newspapers. Some of the most important [*60] marine resources are being exploitedⁿ⁵¹ and will be found in the future on the world's continental shelves. US industry is and will continue to be in the capitalised forefront of these developments. A properly codified regulatory system contributed to by the US will be essential to protect US interests. Indeed, as interest and activities in the Arctic Ocean become more and more prevalent by the Russian Federation, Canada and others, the US risks losing valuable positions by not ratifying.