Editorial: Twenty Years On

The 16 November 2014 marked the twentieth anniversary of the entry into force of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (LOSC), described by one of its key negotiators as a comprehensive ‘constitution for the oceans’. LOSC developed through the Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS III) over 8 years (1974–1982). UNCLOS III, with an open-ended time frame and involved between 2000 and 3000 delegates representing 150 countries, for 585 days over 15 formal sessions as well as numerous inter-sessional meetings. The eight years of negotiations concluded with the convention open for signature but with key issues, particularly surrounding deep-seabed mining, however, remaining unresolved. It took another 12 years to achieve the required ratifications of 60 states for the convention entered into force. It was ongoing negotiations of a key implementing agreement to which Australian negotiators took a central role that provided the key to addressing concerns over deep-seabed mining. LOSC can rightly be recognised as one of the great achievements of post second world war international collaboration – but as noted above has continued relevance as the framework or constitution that shapes governance of maritime and oceans affairs. The Australian Journal of Maritime and Ocean Affairs (and its predecessorMaritime Studies) has provided various commentaries and analyses of LOSC since 1982, and will continue to do so. This constitutional framework continues to support developments and The Australian Journal of Maritime and Ocean Affairs will continue to provide a forum for analysis At the same manner the journal continues to develop. I am pleased to introduce new members of the editorial board: Professor Seokwoo Lee (Inha University, Korea); Professor Suzanne Lalonde (Université de Montréal, Canada); Joanna Mossop (Victoria University, Wellington, New Zealand); and Dr May Tan-Mullins (University of Nottingham at Ningbo, China), and thank them and the other members of the board for their support to the journal’s mission and scope. I also wish to recognize the commitments of colleagues who provide important peer review of submissions. The 2014 reviewers are acknowledged at the end of this issue. This issue explores issues in contemporary international and regional oceans governance, with a linked theme of maritime security and cooperation. Shishir Upadhyaya reflects on the transformation of navies through changing maritime security scenarios, explorimg an approach to define a maritime cooperation strategy that enables India to leverage naval power in order to meet the challenges of the post-cold war era. B.A. Hamzah, V.L. Forbes, M.N. Basiron and J. A. Jalil outline the development of agreements over the boundary between Malaysia and Indonesia in the Malacca Strait. The authors note that while the boundary agreements were negotiated in good faith, they have had a significant impact on the general recognition of the Indonesian archipelagic state regime. The authors argue that the Malacca Strait boundary agreements highlight the complexities of delimiting maritime boundaries in a narrow yet internationally significant waterway. Kuang-Hao Hou’s paper addresses the question: How has the contemporary state of Taiwan constructed its perception of the ocean? Hou applies Philip Steinberg’s models of perceptions of the ocean and his territorial political economics to interpret the ocean policy, marine laws and maritime acts of contemporary Taiwan.