May

04
2004

10:00 am EDT - 12:00 am EDT

Past Event

Should the United States Ratify the Law of the Sea Treaty?

  • Tuesday, May 4, 2004

    10:00 am - 12:00 am EDT

Brookings Institution
Falk Auditorium

1775 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC
20036

More than 140 nations have ratified the Law of the Sea treaty, which entered into force in 1994. The treaty governs use of the world’s oceans and addresses issues including navigation, use of airspace, exploitation of ocean resources, and protection of the marine environment.

On February 25, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee unanimously recommended that the U.S. Senate ratify the treaty. The Bush administration has expressed its support for ratification. Recently some critics have voiced concerns about the impact of the treaty on U.S. sovereignty.

Brookings will convene a distinguished panel of experts with a range of backgrounds to discuss whether the United States should ratify the treaty.

Agenda

  • May 4
    • Moderator

      David Sandalow, Inaugural Fellow, Center on Global Energy Policy, School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University
      David B. Sandalow Former Brookings Expert, Inaugural Fellow, Center on Global Energy Policy - School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University
    • Opening Remarks

      SRGL
      Senator Richard G. Lugar Chairman, U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee
    • Panelists

      CC
      Clifton Curtis Director, Global Toxics Program, World Wildlife Fund
      DB
      David Balton Deputy Assistant Secretary for Oceans and Fisheries, U.S. Department of State
      FG
      Frank Gaffney President, Center for Security Policy
      GLM
      Genevieve L. Murphy Senior Manager, American Petroleum Institute
      PML
      Peter M. Leitner Author, Former Observer to U.S. Law of the Sea Delegation (1977-82)
      WS
      Rear Admiral William L. Schachte, Jr. JAGC, U.S. Navy, (Ret.);Counsel, Blank Rome, LLP