Towards a Better Use of the Ocean

Technological progress is rapidly increasing the possibilities of exploiting the oceans for military and economic purposes. This is straining the present framework of international law and is creating new risks of conflict—and new opportunities for co-operation.

Professor William T. Burke was commissioned by SIPRI to prepare a report on contemporary legal problems of ocean development, including a full description of the technological and policy background to the problems. Seven scholars from different countries were invited to submit their comments in writing on Professor Burke's paper and then to attend a symposium held in Stockholm from June 10th to June 14th, 1968. Professor Burke's paper and the written comments form the main body of this report.