The U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea
Summary
Contrary to claims by proponents of U.S. ratification of the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the U.S. does not need UNCLOS to protect its navigational rights and freedoms around the world. In fact, joining UNCLOS would cost the U.S. significantly—through required transfer of oil royalties and baseless environmental lawsuits (all at U.S. taxpayer expense)—so that the costs would outweigh any benefit. For the U.S., UNCLOS is irrelevant at best.
Key Takeaways
The U.S. does not need to subject itself to the whims of an unaccountable international organization to secure its navigational rights and freedoms around the world.
Joining UNCLOS would expose the U.S. to frivolous lawsuits, impose unnecessary costs on American taxpayers, and threaten U.S. sovereignty.
If UNCLOS comes before the Senate, the Senate should follow decades of precedent and once again reject U.S. membership in this fatally flawed treaty.
Source: https://www.heritage.org/global-politics/report/the-un-convention-the-law-the-sea
