Register for E-mail alerts. Comment on articles. Sign up today, it's easy.
Close
The Washington Times Online Edition

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Ratify UNCLOS

Some challenges are global in dimension and cannot be resolved by any single country, no matter how powerful - not even the United States. The use, protection, maintenance and sharing of the oceans and their resources present such a global problem. Doug Bandow argues that the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) is futile or worse (“Paper promises vs. real costs,” April 22).

In fact, UNCLOS has been developed over many years, with input from many countries, drawing on practical experience from across the globe. The treaty involves 157 countries. Some provisions of the treaty that gave the U.S. pause in the 1980s have been rewritten.

The current version of UNCLOS enjoys the support of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and such surprising allies as the American Petroleum Institute and the World Wildlife Fund. The Senate should ratify UNCLOS in the current session of Congress.

Asserting that we do not need the Law of the Sea because the United States has a large Navy and can protect its interests is like saying that we do not need traffic rules because we drive a really, really large automobile.

DON KRAUS

Chief executive officer

ROBERT A. ENHOLM

Executive vice president

Citizens for Global Solutions

Washington

Comments
blog comments powered by Disqus
You Might Also Like
  • Illustration by Alexander Hunter for The Washington Times

    WOLF: Time for a Romneycare mea culpa

    By Dr. Milton R. Wolf - The Washington Times

  • Illustration by Alexander Hunter for The Washington Times

    KEENE: Occupiers’ dangerous, desperate last move?

    By David A. Keene - The Washington Times

  • The Washington Times

    TRUMP: No one’s apprentice

    By Donald J. Trump - The Washington Times

  • In Case You Missed It

    News For You

    Get free daily emails on topics of interest to you, from breaking news to the day’s top stories. Privacy Policy

    Most Read