Assignment task:
Between Mexico and Hawaii is the Pacific Ocean, a place of enormous competition due to its vast resources, especially minerals found at the bottom of the sea. Because of that, 168 countries signed the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. This treaty ensures peaceful cooperation and resource management. But, unfortunately, the U.S. neglected to be part of the treaty and sign it, saying that it "Undermines the American power". This resistance from the U.S. reflects the tension between national interests, a topic discussed in the chapters covered in TopHat this week. This treaty shows the imbalance between environmental protection and economic exploitation, as learned in Unit 2. With the U.S. refusing to sign, it creates isolation from global governance, while other nations benefit from the legal framework of the law created.