Sovereignty At Sea

Until the mid-1950s nearly all the waters lying between the far-flung islands of the Indonesian archipelago were as open to the ships of all nations as the waters of the great oceans. In order to enhance its failing sovereign grasp over the nation, as well as to deter perceived external threats to Indonesia’s national integrity, in 1957 the Indonesian government declared that it had “absolute sovereignty” over all the waters lying within straight baselines drawn between the outermost islands of Indonesia. At a single step, Indonesia had asserted its dominion over a vast swathe of what had hitherto been seas open to all, and made its lands and the seas it now claimed a single unified entity for the first time. International outrage and alarm ensued, expressed especially by the great maritime nations. Nevertheless, despite its low international profile, its relative poverty, and its often frail state capacity, Indonesia eventually succeeded in gaining international recognition for its claim when, in 1982, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea formally recognized the existence of a new category of states known as “archipelagic states” and declared that these states had sovereignty over their “archipelagic waters”. Sovereignty and the Sea explains how Indonesia succeeded in its extraordinary claim. At the heart of Indonesia’s archipelagic campaign was a small group of Indonesian diplomats. Largely because of their dogged persistence, negotiating skills, and willingness to make difficult compromises Indonesia became the greatest archipelagic state in the world.

This book is an attempt to bring together all the available information regarding the sovereignty of the British Seas. The author aimed to trace the development of territorial waters during his time, i.e., the early 1900s. The book is split into two sections, the first containing a historical account of the claims made to the authority of the sea; the second dealing with the relic of such claims. Thomas Wemyss Fulton originally undertook this work to deal only with the subjects related to the sea fisheries. It soon became apparent that restricting the scope would lead to multiple disadvantages and present only a partial picture. This brilliant work laid the foundation on which all future research concerning the history of the British Sea Fisheries is based.

"A compelling account based on exhaustive primary research that re-creates the mindset of politicians, the press, and other policymakers as they make the momentous decision to go to war in 1917. Many know the maritime military dimensions of warfare--here is a story that shows the maritime dimensions of diplomacy and how the rights of American merchant marines mattered in the minds of those in charge."--Timothy G. Lynch, California Maritime Academy "Scholarly yet accessible, a nice piece of research, especially in primary documents. This is a highly original book on a relatively neglected historical period."--Joshua M. Smith, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy While numerous studies have examined Woodrow Wilson's policy of neutrality prior to U.S. entry into World War I, none has focused on the actual merchant ship losses that created the final casus belli. This work focuses on what the president knew and when he knew it concerning the loss of ten ships between February 3 and April 4, 1917. By looking at the specifics, Rodney Carlisle offers new explanations for the reasons that led the president, the cabinet, the public, and Congress to decide for war. Sovereignty at Sea not only adds much to our understanding of maritime and diplomatic history during the First World War period but also speaks to contemporary concerns with issues surrounding the U.S. justification for wars. Rodney Carlisle is professor emeritus of history at Rutgers University.

There has been a recent increase in clashes between warships asserting rights to navigate and states asserting sovereignty over coastal waters. This book argues for a set of rules which respect the rights of coastal states to protect their sovereignty and of warships to navigate lawfully, whilst also outlining the limits of each. The book addresses the issue of the clash between warships and states by considering the general principles applying to use of force in the law of the sea and the law of national self-defence. It focuses on the right of coastal states to use force to prevent passage of warships which threaten their sovereignty, with particular reference to the specific maritime zones, as well as by warships to ensure passage or to defend themselves. The book also assesses the extent to which the law of armed conflict may be applicable to these issues. The conclusion draws together a set of rules which take account of both contemporary and historical events and seeks to balance the competing interests at stake. Providing a concise overview of the enduring issue of freedom of navigation, this book will appeal to anyone studying international law, the law of the sea, security studies and international relations. It will also be of interest to naval, coast guard and military officers as well as government legal advisors.

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This book analyses Chinese social constructions of sovereignty in the context of the East China Sea conflict. It specifically explores China and Taiwan's overlapping cross-Strait sovereignty claims and their domestic debates and policies towards the territorial dispute. Providing an up-to-date discussion of the East China Sea conflict, the book challenges conventional assumptions regarding both Beijing's and Taipei's adherence to the classical notion of Westphalian sovereignty. Instead, it brings China and Taiwan into the Constructivist analytical framework and develops a domestic agency-focused approach to demonstrate the social power of ideas and the centrality of domestic actors in the production of sovereignty. Offering a comprehensive examination of Chinese, Taiwanese, Japanese and US responses at the domestic and international levels, the book studies the sovereignty narratives and the coordination of efforts made by the PRC and ROC authorities to counter Japan's territorial claims in the East China Sea. Featuring extensive analysis of the conceptual approaches to understanding Chinese sovereignty, Chinese Constructions of Sovereignty and the East China Sea Conflict will be useful for students and scholars of Chinese and Asian politics, as well as international relations and security studies.