POLS 470 Study Guide - Missile Defense Systems By Country, International Humanitarian Law, Erms
Document Summary
Global commons : the ocean and seas, antarctica, outer space. A legal principal that addresses how states conceive of common areas is something that is referred to as res communis. Res communis: res communis is defined as something belonging to all, this is how many states see the management of the oceans. Res communis is pitted against another idea called res nullis. In part this was a function of dominant states defining the seas as res nullis so that they could actually utilize them. One of the issues that come up in unclos 3 is between those two ideas. Some problems with managing the global commons arise in the fact that many states have different property laws. It is customary international law that states can claim up to 3 nautical miles. However, states have been trying to increase that amount unitarily.
