Law of the Sea Treaty (UNCLOS)
Current Research for the MLA LD & PF Debate Topic…

TOPIC: Law of the Sea Treaty (UNCLOS)
Resolved: The United States should accede to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea without reservations.  

Background:
What is the Law of the Sea Treaty? (Dr. Steve Lee, LOST-FAQ, Last Accessed: September 2018)
The Law of the Sea Treaty (LOST) is a controversial agreement that defines ocean ownership rights and responsibilities across the globe. This treaty outlines and assigns ocean segments to various countries. In doing so, it also establishes country guidelines for marine businesses, environmental care, and the proper management of marine natural resources.

IMPORTANT (Recent News):
Chinese and American warships nearly collide,
The Economist, October 2, 2018 (PDF Version)
https://www.economist.com/asia/2018/10/02/chinese-and-american-warships-nearly-collide

Magnet Academy Evidence/Arguments Packets:
[-] PF Outline (of Arguments) – Law of the Sea Treaty (MLA, Final).pdf
[-] PF Evidence – Law of the Sea Treaty (MLA, Final).pdf or DOC 
[-] PF Arguments – Law of the Sea Treaty (MLA, Final).pdf or DOC
[-] PF Rejoinders – Law of the Sea Treaty (MLA, Final).pdf or DOC
[-] PF Voting Issues – Law of the Sea Treaty (MLA, Final).pdf or DOC

\”Paid\” Research Packets (Free to Use):
[-] PF Research (US Joining UNCLOS) – Law of the Sea Treaty (Champion Briefs, 2018-08-01).pdf
[-] PF Research (US Joining UNCLOS) – Law of the Sea Treaty (Forensics Files, 2018-08-01).pdf
[-] PF Research (US Joining UNCLOS) – Law of the Sea Treaty (Victory Briefs, 2018-08-01).pdf

Whiteboard Photos (from Class):
[-] PF Outline (UNCLOS) – AFF & NEG Basic Outline (MLA, 2018-09-01).jpg
[-] PF Outline (UNCLOS) – AFF Basic Outline (MLA, 2018-09-01).jpg
[-] PF Outline (UNCLOS) – AFF Outline with Some Details (MLA, 2018-09-01).jpg
[-] PF Outline (UNCLOS) – NEG Outline with Some Details (MLA, 2018-09-01).jpg
[-] PF Evidence (UNCLOS) – AFF Pollution Harming Fragile Ecosystems (MLA, 2018-09-15).jpg
[-] PF Evidence (UNCLOS) – AFF Paying Royalties (MLA, 2018-09-07).jpg
[-] PF Argument (UNCLOS) – PRO Reducing Risk of War (MLA, 2018-09-01).jpg
[-] PF Argument (UNCLOS) – PRO Reducing Global Threats (MLA, 2018-09-01).jpg
[-] PF Argument (UNCLOS) – PRO Protecting the Environment (MLA, 2018-09-01).jpg
[-] PF Argument (UNCLOS) – PRO Protecting the Environment (MLA, 2018-09-15).jpg
[-] Outline – Rejoinders and Voting Issues (MLA, 2018-09-11).pdf

[Required] Research Videos: Security / Environment / Economic Opportunities.

30th Anniversary of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (1982-2012),
United Nations, May 18, 2012 (13 min)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCTi94kXfn8  <– Starting at 6 min is okay.
NOTE: This video will greatly assist you in creating a deeper subject knowledge.

The U.S. won\’t allow China to \’rewrite rules\’ in the South China Sea,
The Wrap, August 17, 2018 – 1 min
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJ2mejyFUJQ

U.N. environment chief warns \”we\’re facing an ocean Armageddon\”,
CBS News, December 4, 2017 (4 min)
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ocean-pollution-united-nations-environmental-summit/
Important: Watch the video AND read the article (thanks).

[Required] Research Articles: Security / Environment / Economic Opportunities.

Oceans and the Law of the Sea,
United Nations, Last Accessed: September 2018
http://www.un.org/en/sections/issues-depth/oceans-and-law-sea/index.html

Why Hasn\’t the US Signed the Law of the Sea Treaty?
Voice of America, June 6, 2016
https://www.voanews.com/a/united-states-sign-law-sea-treaty/3364342.html

Race to the Bottom,
The Economist, March 10, 2018
http://media.economist.com/news/technology-quarterly/21738059-mining-ocean-floor-about-go-mainstream-race-bottom

[Optional] Research Articles/Videos: 

Report: Law of the Sea Convention: Should the U.S. Join?
David B. Sandalow, Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution, August 19, 2004
https://www.brookings.edu/research/law-of-the-sea-convention-should-the-u-s-join/

[Video] Champion Briefs: Topic Analysis (UNCLOS),
Zachary Ginsberg, Champion Briefs, September 2018
https://youtu.be/602PdRMO6bQ  

Half of all patents for genes from marine species owned by one company,
The Independent, June 6, 2018
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/deep-sea-creatures-genes-patent-genetics-marine-basf-a8386606.html

[Video] Law of the Sea Treaty (LOST or UNCLOS),
Dr. John Moore, Prof. Univ. of Virginia, Washington Journal (C-Span), June 16, 2012 (42 min)
https://www.c-span.org/video/?306629-5/law-sea-treaty
Guest John Moore discussed the United Nation’s Law of the Sea Treaty and how that could affect the American economy in the future. The Law of the Sea Treaty sets guidelines for how a nation develops, uses, and maintains the water it has jurisdiction over. HE IS A TOP EXPERT!

[Video] Law of the Sea Treaty (LOST or UNCLOS),
Oceans Law & Policy Conference (C-Span), May 21, 2010 (99 min)
https://www.c-span.org/video/?293640-3/law-sea-treaty
Panelists debate the Law of the Sea Treaty. The Law of the Sea Treaty, adopted in 1982 but still not ratified, calls for technology transfers and wealth transfers from developed to undeveloped nations. It also requires parties to the treaty to adopt regulations and laws to control pollution of the marine environment. The treaty establishes specific jurisdictional limits on the ocean area that countries may claim, including a 12-mile territorial sea limit and a 200-mile exclusive economic zone limit. BOTH ARE TOP EXPERTS and both are extremely well-qualified to debate this topic. Their arguments are OUR ARGUMENTS. 🙂

[Video] The Law of the Sea Treaty (LOST) – what is it?,
Harry Thomas Collection, May 13, 2009 (9 min)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6p-_m_clmZ4
Note: This is a collection of videos opposing LOST/UNCLOS.

[Video] Law of the Sea Treaty – Part 1 & 2,
Henry Zeke, Environmental Conservation Organization, August 17, 2007 (5 min each)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKgBEMSK3_I&list=PL1C3B33FCA21D9B20
NOTE: This video asserts a lack of need and argues heavily against LOST/UNCLOS.

LIMITS OF LAW IN THE SOUTH CHINA SEA
Brookings Institution (Report), May 2016
https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Limits-of-Law-in-the-South-China-Sea-2.pdf

Law of the Sea Treaty: Bad for American Energy Policy,
Heritage Foundation, July 9, 2012
https://www.heritage.org/report/law-the-sea-treaty-bad-american-energy-policy

The United States and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea,
Wikipedia.org, Last Accessed: July 2018
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_and_the_United_Nations_Convention_on_the_Law_of_the_Sea
Note: This is a great resource — use it to find ideas/arguments! We can independently find their sources.

China and UNCLOS: An Inconvenient History,
Zheng Wang, The Diplomat, July 11, 2016
https://thediplomat.com/2016/07/china-and-unclos-an-inconvenient-history/
Note (from the Article): As South China Sea tensions rise, Beijing rethinks its relationship with the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea of 10 December 1982,
United Nations, Last Updated: March 28, 2018
http://www.un.org/depts/los/convention_agreements/convention_overview_convention.htm

Review of Maritime Transport (2015),
United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, 2015 Report
http://unctad.org/en/PublicationsLibrary/rmt2015_en.pdf

Law of the Sea Treaty,
New York Times, Last Accessed: July 2018
https://www.nytimes.com/topic/subject/law-of-the-sea-treaty
Note: This website is a collection of articles discussing LOST/UNCLOS.

[Video-01] The Science of United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS),
[Video-02] Chris Hemmingway, Director of Hydrography and the Law of the Sea Program,
Fisheries Canada, May 9, 2018 (2 min) & September 27, 2017 (3 min)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCttmsixQpc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywNT9O8zGco
Note: The United States would achieve similar benefits were it to join the UNCLOS.

Contact Information (Coach Bill):
Bill Eddy,
CoachBill@MagnetAcademy.com   
714.655.8135 (I prefer text)
When contacting me, please include your name and class information (day/time). Thanks! 

British Navy warship sails near South China Sea islands, angering Beijing,
Reuters News, September 6, 2018
https://www.yahoo.com/news/exclusive-british-navy-warship-sails-near-beijing-claimed-001513209.html

\’Keep out!\’: China sent 6 warnings to a US Navy plane, but the US didn\’t back down,
Business Insider, August 10, 2018
https://www.businessinsider.com/keep-out-china-warns-us-navy-plane-in-south-china-sea-2018-8
[x] China sent six warnings to a US Navy plane operating in the South China Sea on Friday, ordering the American crew to \”leave immediately and keep out.\”
[x] The US Navy aircraft stayed the course, insisting that it was within its legal rights.
[x] The incident followed a report from the Philippine government revealing that China had been sending out threatening radio queries to foreign ships and planes at an increased frequency.

Is War With China Inevitable?
Polymatter, March 9, 2018 – 9 min
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMFBou-g8o4

Are China and the US doomed to conflict? | Kevin Rudd
Kevin Rudd, TED Talk, April 1, 2015 – 20 min
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XQ1onjXJK0

Resolved: The United States should accede to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea without reservations.

Maintaining Arctic Cooperation with Russia: Planning for Regional Change in the Far North (2017),
Dr. Stephanie Pezard, Expert in arctic security and security cooperation, Published: Rand Corp., 2017
https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR1731.html
PDF Link: https://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/research_reports/RR1700/RR1731/RAND_RR1731.pdf

Conserving Biological Diversity
William Y. Brown, Brookings Institution, August 9, 2011
https://www.brookings.edu/research/conserving-biological-diversity/

PRO: Pace of Extinction Has Accelerated (Technology Threatens Biodiversity)
S: According to… Dr. William Y. Brown, JD from Harvard University, Chief Environmental Officer at Brookings Institution, August 9, 2011
https://www.brookings.edu/research/conserving-biological-diversity/
Q: Life first appeared on Earth about 3.8 billion years ago and over time covered the land and sea with microbes, plants and animals. The count of known species now stands at about 1.8 million, and no one would be surprised if over 10 times more exist, still undiscovered. Most humans come from a small group that slipped out of Africa less than 100,000 years ago and spread around the globe, less than one-tenth of a second on a time-scale mea­sured at 1 hour since life first appeared. Despite mankind’s very recent presence, we have eliminated species and pushed many more out of the places they lived. This began with mammoths and other prehistoric animals, but the pace of extinction and displacement has accelerated since permanent settlements were established and machines were invented to improve our lives. E.O. Wilson has estimated that 3 species are lost per hour. Exact numbers are elusive—starting with not knowing how many species there really are to begin with—but the big picture of loss is unmistakable.
F: the pace of extinction and displacement has accelerated since permanent settlements and machines were invented to improve our lives. It is estimated that 3 species are lost per hour. The exact numbers are elusive but the big picture of loss is unmistakable.
C: This means…

Parsing Trump’s Recent Policy Statements on the South China Sea
Mark J. Valencia, The Diplomat, November 17, 2017
https://thediplomat.com/2017/11/parsing-trumps-recent-policy-statements-on-the-south-china-sea/

The US-China Maritime Surveillance Debate
Mark J. Valencia, The Diplomat, August 4, 2017
https://thediplomat.com/2017/08/the-us-china-maritime-surveillance-debate/

Toward a New Maritime Strategy in the South China Sea
Patrick M. Cronin and Melodie Ha, The Diplomat, June 22, 2018
https://thediplomat.com/2018/06/toward-a-new-maritime-strategy-in-the-south-china-sea/

Who Lost the South China Sea?
Project Syndicate, June 12, 2018
https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/united-states-policy-south-china-sea-expansionism-by-brahma-chellaney-2018-06