“We are now physically, politically, and economically one world and nations so interdependent that the absolute national sovereignty of nations is no longer possible.” --- Sir John Boyd Orr “National sovereignty is an obligation as well as an entitlement. A government that will not perform the role of a government forfeits the rights of a government.” --- Richard Norman Perle “Relinquishing apparent national sovereignty does not have to entail a loss of national sovereignty, but can actually be a benefit.” --- Dr. Ulrich Beck

1. THE WORLD – NATIONAL SOVEREIGNTY – LAW OF THE SEA – THE FUTURE
The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) defines the rights and
responsibilities of nations in their use of the world's oceans and establishes guidelines for
business, the environment, and the management of marine resources.
The United States recognizes UNCLOS as a codification of customary international law. The
United States has not has not ratified UNCLOS.
China Signed December 10, 1982 Deposited June 7, 1996 Ratification
Japan Signed February 7, 1983 Deposited June 20, 1996 Ratification
Russia Signed Dec 10, 1982 Deposited Mar 12, 1997 Ratification
Congressional opponents of UNCLOS ratification argue that UNCLOS infringes upon national
sovereignty.
Stephen D. Krasner:
1. Domestic sovereignty – Control over a state is exercised by an authority organized
within the state,
2. Interdependence sovereignty – Control of movement across the state's borders,
3. International legal sovereignty – Formal recognition by other sovereign states,
4. Westphalian sovereignty – Each nation state has sovereignty over its territory and
domestic, affairs, to the exclusion of all external powers. Each state is equal in
international law.
Immanuel Maurice Wallerstein:
Sovereignty is a hypothetical trade, in which two potentially conflicting sides, respecting de
facto realities of power, exchange such recognitions as their least costly strategy.
Hillary Clinton:
Testimony before United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations – Confirmation
Hearing as Secretary of State, January 13, 2009. Hillary Clinton served as Secretary of
State January 21, 2009 to February 1, 2013.
http://www.cfr.org/elections/hillary-clintons-confirmation-hearing-statement/p18214