Reflections on the Making of the Modern Law of the Sea

The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) is one of the most successful agreements ever created to govern the global commons. If it is thought of as a constitution for the oceans, then Satya Nandan should be considered one of the founders, one of the key personalities behind both the agreement and the subsequent development of Law of the Sea in the decades since UNCLOS was adopted. He led the drafting of the key negotiating text, most of which made its way, unaltered, into the Convention’s final text.

How did a lawyer from Fiji come to play such a pivotal role in this important area of diplomacy and international law? This book tells the story, showing how Nandan used his creativity, pragmatism, and penchant for language to reach compromise and build consensus at nearly every stage in the making of the modern law of the sea. In this book, he elaborates on the techniques and skills he brought to bear on this task, the alliances he formed with colleagues from different countries, and the strategies that were effective in this complex, multidimensional negotiation. At a time when the stakes involved in managing the global commons could not be higher, Satya Nandan’s experience and wisdom could not be more relevant and important.