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Showing posts with the label Light House and the international law

New South China Sea Lighthouses: Legal Futility and Strategic Risk ( Source- The Diplomat / Authors- Jonathan G. Odom and Kerry Lynn Nankivell)

Image credits- Wikimedia Commons / Alvesgaspar Source- The Diplomat Authors- Jonathan G. Odom and Kerry Lynn Nankivell International law can be viewed as either a tool or a weapon, depending on how it is wielded. On the one hand, the rules of international law outlining the range of legitimate territorial and maritime claims can provide an invaluable toolbox of objective standards for sorting out a way forward in what can often be a complex problem of international relations. On the other, a misinterpretation or partial understanding of the applicable international law can obfuscate the intentions of the rival claimants and further complicate the overall situation. In some ways, a partial understanding of the applicable law might be more harmful than no knowledge at all. For the unresolved disputes in the South China Sea, one issue worth considering is the potential significance of the new lighthouses that China has constructed on several geographic features within t