Issued also as Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Illinois. / "Authorities": p. 230-238.

Thesis (M.A.) - Carleton University, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 77-82 ). Also available in electronic format on the Internet.

It is no exaggeration to say that the Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea was one of the most important law-making events of the twentieth century. It heralded the beginning of a revolution in international law by introducing a new law-making technique based on consensus decision-making and universal participation. It also produced a comprehensive treaty on the law of the sea. The resulting Law of the Sea Convention is commonly claimed to provide a universal legal framework for all ocean activities. Upon this background, it is pertinent to ask, what is the future for the LOS Convention and the law of the sea in the twenty-first century? How does the Convention evolve to take into account changing values, policies and preferences of the international community? How have developments in law-making techniques influenced the way in which the law of the sea is created and changed? This thesis initially establishes the legal basis for the LOS Convention as a universal framework for the law of sea. It shows how the negotiation of the Convention substantially influenced customary international law so that it is possible to speak of a universal law of the sea. Yet, the status of the Convention as universal law poses problems for its future development because it cannot be considered solely from the perspective of the law of treaties. The thesis will therefore consider the mechanisms for change contained within the Convention alongside other law-making processes out-with the formal treaty framework. Central to this analysis is the role of institutions in modern international law-making. The thesis looks at the part played by political and technical institutions in developing the law of the sea through interpretation, modification, and amendment, as well as at the ways in which these institutions have utilised and developed the consensus decision-making techniques first seen at UNCLOS III. It will also analyse the role of courts and tribunals in maintaining and developing the legal order of the oceans. This analysis shows that the Convention provides the legal framework for the modern law of the sea for all states. In this context, institutional processes have largely replaced unilateral state practice in law-making. Moreover, states have shown a preference for flexibility and pragmatism over formal amendment procedures. The greatest achievement of the LOS Convention is the creation of a stable legal order for the oceans. To ensure this stability is maintained, continued discussion, deliberation and compromise through international institutions is vital.

This work set out to assess and examine the position of the individuals as non-state actors within the process of international law creation, in essence taking an existing problem and bringing a new idea. In undertaking this aim three new classifications of non-state actor have been identified in which the evidence gives a better informed theory. These new classifications, the authorised, independent and unauthorised individual, give a more realistic account between the theoretical narrative of the individual and realities seen within international law creation. In contrast to the current theories which are heavily theoretical and abstract, this work has an evidence based approach informing on a new theoretical framework. The authorised individual is someone mandated to perform negotiations of future international law on behalf of an authorised-decision maker, usually a state government. The principal features of the authorised individual are that they are briefed to act on behalf of states, usually conforming to a strict mandate to which they are expected to follow. The independent authorised individual is similarly related to the authorised individual in that they are mandated by an authorised decision maker. The main differences being they are given more freedom to perform the role and are asked to fulfil more general aims and expected outcomes set down by the individual’s home government. John Ruggie and the process used by him in the creation of the UNGP’s provide an excellent example of the work of this category of individual. Finally, the unauthorised individual is someone who by conventional standards and expectations wouldn’t be expected to have a role in the negotiations for international law making, i.e. they have no mandate, and are not acting on behalf of a state. Examples are Raphael Lemkin and John Peters Humphrey. To demonstrate that individuals have a role in law-making, this alternative approach has a focus on the realities of the international system. In using Rational Choice theory models of analysis the effectiveness of the different categories of the individual can be seen, with clear benefits of the work of independent authorised individuals demonstrated as effective law makers within the system.

The WTO is one piece in a complex network of international, regional and domestic legal systems and regulatory frameworks. The influences on the development of WTO law extend far beyond its own Members and institutions: domestic legal instruments have provided the inspiration for numerous WTO obligations while the rights and obligations under the covered agreements are frequently incorporated into the legal systems of the Membership. The WTO is home to numerous committees and working groups that also engage with other international bodies and their domestic counterparts. Transnational actors seek to take advantage of these networks, encouraging WTO law to develop in their favour. The interactions involved, however, are highly complex and unpredictable. By drawing on different models of causal explanation, it is possible to offer a perspective on the development of WTO law that accepts its role as part of a larger globalized process. Three different causal influences are identified: instrumental, systemic and constitutive. Together, they offer a prism through which to examine the development of WTO law as it responds to the behaviour of transnational actors, bridging gaps between international relations and law and, it is hoped, offering a convincing explanatory rationale for the way in which WTO law develops.

One of the central purposes of the international law of the sea is to define various maritime zones, their extent and limits. One of these zones is the continental shelf. The continental shelf in modern international law has two aspects: The continental shelf within 200 nautical miles from the shore of coastal States and the continental shelf beyond that limit. The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea provides that information on the limits of the continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles shall be submitted by the coastal State to a scientific and technical commission, namely the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf. The Commission is responsible for making recommendations to coastal States on matters related to the establishment of the outer limits of their continental shelves beyond 200 nautical miles. If the limits of the shelf established by a coastal State are on the basis of the recommendations, they are final and binding. The establishment of the continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles has two main features: The establishment of the boundary line between the continental shelf and the international seabed area and the establishment of the boundary between the continental shelf of adjacent or opposite coastal States. Many questions concerning the relationship between these procedures have been left unanswered as well as the relationship between the Commission and international courts and tribunals. This thesis analyses the role of coastal States, the Commission and international courts and tribunals in the establishment of the continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles and the interplay between them. It explores how the various sources of international law have contributed to the establishment of the current legal framework. The thesis explores the differences between the delineation and delimitation of the continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles. It demonstrates that the role of the Commission is to curtail extravagant claims to the continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles and protect the territorial scope of the international seabed area. It also shows that the role of international courts and tribunals in this field is essentially the same as their role in other types of disputes. It explains that the establishment of the boundary line between the continental shelf and the international seabed area and the establishment of the boundary between the continental shelf of adjacent or opposite coastal States is a separate process. Furthermore, it clarifies that the three-stage boundary delimitation method is applicable beyond 200 nautical miles. It also displays that no special rule of customary international law has evolved that is solely applicable to delimitations regarding the continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles. The thesis addresses the interaction of the various mechanisms within the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea concerning the continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles. Its main conclusion is that despite the possibility for tension to arise the relationship between the institutions is clear and precise and they together form a coherent system where each separate institution plays its own part in a larger process.

Univ., Diss.--Göttingen, 2004.