Dispute Settlement in the Law of the Sea Convention and Territorial and Maritime Disputes inSoutheastAsia: Issues, Opportunities, and Challenges

The 1982 U nited N ations C onvention on the L aw of the S ea ( LOSC ) provides for a dispute settlement regime that establishes a compulsory and binding framework for the peaceful settlement of all ocean‐related disputes. In S outheast A sia, despite the long‐standing myriad of territorial and maritime disputes, there appears to be a general reluctance to utilize the dispute settlement provisions of LOSC . The region has very little experience in international litigation involving territorial and maritime disputes, and a reluctance to utilize the dispute settlement provisions of LOSC . While the LOSC legal framework offers some options, the highly complicated nature of the disputes in the region, especially those pertaining to the overlapping and conflicting claims over the S outh C hina S ea, cultural factors, and other pragmatic considerations, test the limits of international law and obscure the possibility of a legal solution.