Publication

This paper examines the difficulties of establishing maritime boundaries and the potential impact The Hague’s South China Sea decision might have on future maritime boundary agreements. As the text’s author sees it, maritime boundary-making is especially difficult in semi-enclosed areas where overlapping jurisdictions often result in disputes over continental shelf boundaries and so-called Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs). In the case of The Hague ruling, the author worries that the tribunal’s emphasis on EEZ jurisdictions in the South China Sea may reinforce existing nationalist sentiments and therefore undermine effective governance in the area.