Law of the Sea

Commentary

The Importance of Sunnylands for U.S.-ASEAN Relations

The first ever Association for Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit held on U.S. soil took place earlier this month. Its success should be measured by the fact that the U.S. prioritized relations with the region enough to host its first summit. It should be regarded as the beginning of a new era in U.S.-ASEAN relations.

Commentary

Obama Doubles Down on Maritime Capacity Building in Southeast Asia

By contributing to coast guard capacity building by donating ships and funding, the United States has found an important and politically viable avenue to bolster maritme security to partners and allies in Southeast Asia.

Commentary

How Will China Respond to Future U.S. Freedom of Navigation Ops?

On October 27, the USS Lassen carried out the first freedom of navigation patrol to challenge China's territorial claims in the South China Sea. In assessing China's potential response to follow-on operations, the extremes of either complete inaction or a military attack can be ruled out.

Commentary

China's Airfield Construction at Fiery Cross Reef in Context: Catch-Up or Coercion?

Even if China really sees itself as undertaking legitimate activities to protect its rightful interests, it is not surprising that its rival claimants, as well as the United States and other countries in the region, see Beijing's island building activities as efforts to improve China's abilities to bully its neighbors.

Commentary

China's Island-Building Stirs Fears, but Creates Openings for the United States

News of proposed Navy patrols nearby disputed islands claimed by China suggests that the United States is toughening its response to Beijing's assertive territorial claims in the South China Sea.

Commentary

Crimea, Climate Change, and U.S.-Russian Relations: A Perfect Storm

Russia possesses the world's most Arctic shoreline, water, and operating resources. But the United States is also an Arctic nation, even if much of the American public tends to under-appreciate this special status.

Commentary

How to Avert a Sea Catastrophe with China

The United States should propose and pursue an East Asian maritime partnership, inviting to join all states that share its interest in assured access and passage, writes David Gompert.

Commentary

Will China's Nationalism Come Back to Bite Leaders?

It is possible that at some point, anti-Japan protests could slip beyond the regime's control, and Party leaders worry that mishandling such tensions could affect the regime's legitimacy—and ultimately erode its grip on power, writes Scott Harold.

Report

Security Issues Facing the Tri-Border Area Between the Philippines, Indonesia, and Malaysia

The area between the Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia is a key hub of terrorist and related criminal activity in Southeast Asia. The Coast Watch System was designed to improve maritime domain awareness in the region but has some issues to overcome.

Commentary

Odd Man Out at Sea

The United States has yet to ratify the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. As a result, the U.S., the world's leading maritime power, is at a military and economic disadvantage, write Thad W. Allen, Richard L. Armitage, and John J. Hamre.

Commentary

Industry Insights: What's So Hard About Stopping Piracy?

Containing persistent maritime disorder might be more fruitful and could lay the foundations for a successful transition to better use of the sea once the societal factors—an even longer term problem—have been resolved, writes Laurence Smallman.

Commentary

Kowtowing to Pirates' Ransoms Fuels Maritime Piracy

Instead of fanning piracy, international businesses need to heed policy. Ransoms in the short term can only lead to more problems in the long term, writes Laurence Smallman.

Report

Countering Piracy in the Modern Era: Notes from a RAND Workshop to Discuss the Best Approaches for Dealing with Piracy in the 21st Century

The findings of a small group of experts from the U.S. government, allied partner nations, the maritime industry, and academic organizations convened to discuss piracy in the modern era.

Commentary

Piracy Still Threatens the Freedom of the Seas

As recent events off the Horn of Africa have demonstrated, armed violence at sea is emerging as a growing threat. Piracy threatens the freedom of the seas, increases the cost of international business, endangers political security through corruption, and could trigger a major environmental disaster, write Peter Chalk and Laurence Smallman.

People

Robert C. Parker