The George W. Bush administration is urging the U.S. Senate to consent this summer to the Convention on the Law of the Sea, a complex and sprawling treaty that governs shipping, navigation, mining, fishing, and other ocean activities. Deputy secretary of state John Negroponte and deputy defense secretary Gordon England have hailed the convention as a measure to enhance U.S. security on the high seas. Critics, however, fear it will constrain the U.S. military’s naval counterterrorism efforts by subjecting them to review by foreign judges.

How would the convention affect the U.S. military’s ability to prosecute the War on Terror? Does it undermine or enhance U.S. sovereignty and security? On July 17, please join AEI for a conference to examine these and other questions. Moderator Ronald Rotunda of George Mason School of Law will be joined by Susan Biniaz of the State Department, Rear Admiral John Crowley of the U.S. Coast Guard, and Jeremy Rabkin of the George Mason School of Law.