Islands and International Law

Donald R Rothwell is Professor of International Law at the Australian National University, Canberra, Australia.

Does not shy away from any of the more complex or unsettled legal questions of the field, such as those concerning artificial islands, sea level rise, human rights of displaced persons, and changing state practice. Overall, this is an important and timely contribution to the legal discourse on islands in international law.

• Introduction 1. Islands: Geography and Law I. Introduction II. Islands and Geography III. Islands and Juridical Classification IV. Conclusions 2. Artificial Islands I. Introduction II. Scope and Location of Artificial Islands III. Historical Legal Framework IV. Early State Practice V. LOSCVI. Contemporary State Practice VII. Artificial Islands, Rocks and Land Reclamation VIII. Conclusions 3. Islands and Territoriality I. Introduction II. International Law and Territoriality III. Islands and Territoriality IV. Current State of the LawV. Contemporary Island Territorial Disputes VI. Conclusions 4. Islands, Status and StatehoodI. Introduction II. Islands and the International System III. Chapter XI Non-Self-Governing Territories and Chapter XII Trust TerritoriesIV. Current Status of Islands V. Special Regimes VI. Conclusions5. Archipelagic States I. Archipelagos and International Law II. Early Legal Developments III. UNCLOS I IV. The Indonesian and Philippines Claims V. UNCLOS III VI. The LOSC and Archipelagic States VII. Archipelagic State Entitlements VIII. Conclusions 6. Dependent Archipelagos I. Introduction II. Characterisation III. Baselines IV. Maritime Entitlements V. State Practice VI. Conclusions 7. Islands and Maritime Entitlements I. Introduction II. Baselines III. Historic Waters IV. Bays V. Internal Waters VI. Territorial Sea and Contiguous Zone VII. Continental Shelf VIII. Exclusive Economic Zone IX. Conclusions 8. Islands and Maritime Boundaries I. Introduction II. Overview of Maritime Boundary Delimitation III. Decisions of International Courts and Tribunals IV. State Practice V. Impact of Islands on Maritime Boundary Delimitation VI. Conclusions 9. Islands and Human Rights I. Introduction II. Human Rights Treaties and Islands III. Human Rights Issues and Islands IV. Self-Determination V. Small Island Developing States VI. Conclusions 10. Islands and Sea-Level Rise I. Introduction II. Climate Science III. Islands and Artificial Islands IV. Status and Territoriality V. Archipelagic States VI. Maritime Entitlements and Maritime Boundaries VII. Human RightsVIII. Conclusions 11. A Regime of Islands? I. Introduction II. Regimes, Islands and International Law III. Fragments of a Regime of Islands IV. A Future Regime of Islands