Ingxenye 1: Ukucabanga Ngokugubha iminyaka engu-30 yeNgqungquthela ye-UN Yomthetho Wasolwandle

Ngu: Matthew Cannistraro

Ngenkathi ngisebenza e-Ocean Foundation, ngasebenza kuphrojekthi yocwaningo mayelana ne I-United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNLCOS). Ngokuhamba kokuthunyelwe okubili kwebhulogi, ngithemba ukwabelana nokunye engikufundile ngocwaningo lwami kanye nokucacisa ukuthi kungani umhlaba udinga iNgqungquthela, kanye nokuthi kungani i-US ingazange, futhi namanje ayikayigunyazi. Ngethemba ukuthi ngokuhlola umlando we-UNCLOS, ngingagqamisa amaphutha enziwe esikhathini esidlule ukuze asisize siwagweme esikhathini esizayo.

I-UNCLOS yayiwukusabela ekungazinzini okungakaze kube khona kanye nokungqubuzana ngokusetshenziswa kolwandle. Inkululeko yendabuko engavinjelwe ayisasebenzi ngenxa yokuthi ukusetshenziswa kolwandle lwesimanje kwakukhethekile. Ngenxa yalokho, i-UNCLOS yazama ukulawula ulwandle “njengefa lesintu” ukuze kuvinjelwe izingxabano ezingezinhle ezase ziyinsakavukela umchilo wesidwaba ezindaweni zokudoba futhi ikhuthaze ukwabiwa ngokulinganayo kwemithombo yasolwandle.

Phakathi nekhulunyaka lamashumi amabili, ukwenziwa kwesimanjemanje kwemboni yokudoba kwahlangana nentuthuko yokumbiwa kwezimbiwa ukuze kudaleke izingxabano ngokusetshenziswa kolwandle. Abadobi be-salmon base-Alaska bakhononda ngokuthi imikhumbi yangaphandle yayibamba izinhlanzi eziningi kunalokho okwakungasekelwa isitokwe sase-Alaska, futhi iMelika yayidinga ukuthola ukufinyelela okukhethekile ezindaweni zethu zokulondoloza uwoyela ezingasogwini. La maqembu ayefuna ukuvaleka kolwandle. Ngaleso sikhathi, abadobi baseSan Diego Tuna bacekela phansi amasheya aseSouthern California futhi badoba ngasogwini lwase-Central America. Babefuna inkululeko yolwandle engenamingcele. Izinkulungwane zamanye amaqembu anentshisekelo ngokuvamile awela kwesinye sezigaba ezimbili, kodwa ngalinye linokukhathazeka kwalo okukhethekile.

Ezama ukushweleza lezi zintshisekelo ezishayisanayo, uMongameli Truman wakhipha izimemezelo ezimbili ngo-1945. Esokuqala safuna amalungelo akhethekile kuwo wonke amaminerali angamakhulu amabili nautical miles (NM) ukusuka ogwini lwethu, ukuxazulula inkinga kawoyela. Owesibili wafuna amalungelo akhethekile kuzo zonke izinhlanzi ezingakwazi ukusekela ingcindezi yokudoba endaweni efanayo. Le ncazelo ihlose ukukhipha imikhumbi yangaphandle emanzini ethu kuyilapho igcina ukufinyelela emanzini angaphandle ngokunika amandla ososayensi baseMelika kuphela ukuze banqume ukuthi yiziphi izitoko ezingasekela noma ezingakwazi ukusekela isivuno sangaphandle.

Inkathi eyalandela lezi zimemezelo yayinesiphithiphithi. UTruman ubeke isibonelo esiyingozi ngokugomela ngokungakhethi "igunya nokulawula" phezu kwezinsiza zangaphambilini zamazwe ngamazwe. Inqwaba yamanye amazwe alandela isibonelo futhi kwaqubuka udlame ngenxa yokufinyelela ezindaweni zokudoba. Lapho umkhumbi waseMelika wephula umthetho omusha wase-Ecuador osogwini, “abasebenzi bawo… Izimpi ezifanayo zazivamile emhlabeni wonke. Isimangalo ngasinye sendawo yolwandle sasilungile njengoba iNavy isekela lokho. Umhlaba wawudinga indlela yokusabalalisa nokuphatha izinsiza zasolwandle ngendlela efanele ngaphambi kokuba izingxabano zezinhlanzi ziphenduke izimpi kubangwa uwoyela. Imizamo yamazwe ngamazwe yokumisa lokhu kungabi namthetho yafinyelela umvuthwandaba ngo-30 lapho kuhlangana iNgqungquthela Yesithathu YeZizwe Ezihlangene Yomthetho Wasolwandle eCaracas, eVenezuela.

Udaba olujule kakhulu engqungqutheleni lube ukumbiwa kwamaqhuqhuva amaminerali olwandle. Ngo-1960, amafemu aqala ukuqagela ukuthi angakhipha amaminerali ngenzuzo phansi olwandle. Ukuze benze kanjalo, babedinga amalungelo akhethekile ezindaweni ezinkulu zamanzi amazwe ngamazwe ngaphandle kwezimemezelo zangempela zikaTruman. Ukungqubuzana ngala malungelo okumba kwahlanganisa idlanzana lamazwe athuthukile akwazi ukukhipha amaqhuqhuva ngokumelene neningi lezizwe ezingakwazi. Okuwukuphela kwabalamuli bekuyizizwe ebezingakakwazi ukumba amaqhuqhuva kodwa ebezizokwazi maduze nje. Ababili balaba balamuli, iCanada ne-Australia bahlongoze uhlaka oluqinile lokuvumelana. Ngo-1976, uHenry Kissinger weza engqungqutheleni futhi wachaza imininingwane.

Ukuvumelana kwakhiwe phezu kwesistimu ehambisanayo. Ukuhlela okuqinile kokumba phansi olwandle kwadingeka kuphakamise iziza ezimbili ezingase zibe yizimayini. Ibhodi labamele, elibizwa ngokuthi I-International Seabed Authority (ISA), izovotela ukwamukela noma ukwenqaba lezi zindawo ezimbili njengesivumelwano sephakheji. Uma i-ISA izigunyaza iziza, inkampani ingaqala ukumba isizinda esisodwa ngokushesha, kanti enye isiza sibekelwe amazwe asathuthuka ukuthi agcine eyami. Ngakho-ke, ukuze amazwe asathuthuka azuze, awakwazi ukuphazamisa inqubo yokugunyaza. Ukuze amafemu ezimboni ahlomule, kufanele abelane ngezinsiza zolwandle. Isakhiwo se-symbiotic salobu budlelwano siqinisekise ukuthi uhlangothi ngalunye lwetafula lugqugquzelekile ukuxoxisana. Ngesikhathi imininingwane yokugcina isiqala ukusebenza, u-Reagan wenyukela eHhovisi likaMongameli futhi waphazamisa izingxoxo eziphusile ngokwethula imibono engxoxweni.

Lapho uRonald Reagan ethatha izintambo zokulawula izingxoxo ngo-1981, wanquma ukuthi ufuna “ikhefu elihlanzekile nedlule.” Ngamanye amazwi, 'ikhefu elihlanzekile' nomsebenzi onzima wama-pragmatic conservatives njengo-Henry Kissinger ayenzile. Unalo mgomo engqondweni, ithimba lika-Reagan likhiphe isethi yezimfuno zezingxoxo ezenqaba uhlelo olufanayo. Lesi sikhundla esisha sasingalindelekile kangangokuthi elinye iNxusa lesizwe esicebile saseYurophu labuza, “Umhlaba wonke ungayethemba kanjani i-United States? Kungani kufanele senze ukuvumelana uma i-United States ishintsha umqondo wayo ekugcineni? ” Imizwa efanayo yayigcwele ingqungquthela. Ngokwenqaba ukuyekethisa ngokungathi sína, ithimba likaReagan le-UNCLOS lalahlekelwa ithonya lalo ezingxoxweni. Ngokubona lokhu, bahlehla, kodwa kwase kwephuze kakhulu. Ukungaguquguquki kwabo kwase kulimaze ukwethembeka kwabo. Umholi wengqungquthela, u-Alvaro de Soto wasePeru, ubize izingxoxo ukuthi ziphele ukuze kunqandwe ukuthi zingaqhubeki ziqhubeka.

Imibono yavimba ukuvumelana kokugcina. U-Reagan uqoke abagxeki abambalwa abazi kahle ka-UNCLOS kuthimba lakhe, ababenokholo oluncane emcabangweni wokulawula ulwandle. Esitatimendeni esingokomfanekiso, uReagan wafingqa isikhundla sakhe, waphawula, “Singamaphoyisa futhi sigadwa emhlabeni futhi kunemithethonqubo eminingi kangangokuthi ngicabange ukuthi uma uphuma olwandle ungenza njengoba ufuna. .” Le nkolelo-mbono iyawuchitha umqondo oyinhloko wokuphatha ulwandle “njengefa elivamile lesintu.” Noma kunjalo, ukwehluleka kwaphakathi nekhulu leminyaka kwemfundiso yenkululeko yolwandle kwakubonisa ukuthi ukuncintisana okungenamingcele kwakuyinkinga, hhayi ikhambi.

Okulandelayo kuzobhekisisa isinqumo sikaReagan sokungasayini isivumelwano kanye nefa laso kwezombusazwe zaseMelika. Ngithemba ukuchaza ukuthi kungani i-US namanje ingakasigunyazi isivumelwano naphezu kokusekelwa kwayo okubanzi okuvela kuwo wonke amaqembu anentshisekelo ahlobene nolwandle (izikhulu zikawoyela, abadobi, kanye nezazi zemvelo bonke bayaseseka).

U-Matthew Cannistraro wasebenza njengomsizi wocwaningo e-Ocean Foundation entwasahlobo ka-2012. Njengamanje usesikhundleni esiphezulu e-Claremont McKenna College lapho enza khona izifundo ezinkulu eMlandweni futhi ebhala ithisisi yokuhlonishwa mayelana nokudalwa kwe-NOAA. Intshisekelo kaMatthew ngenqubomgomo yezilwandle isukela othandweni lwakhe lokuhamba ngomkhumbi, ukudoba emanzini anosawoti, kanye nomlando wezombangazwe waseMelika. Ngemva kokuthweswa iziqu, unethemba lokuthi uzosebenzisa ulwazi nothando lwakhe ukwenza ushintsho oluhle endleleni esisebenzisa ngayo ulwandle.