American Sovereignty LOST:

White House Flip-Flop on Law of the Sea Treaty (LOST) Cedes Rights to International Seabed Authority (ISA)

ALEXANDRIA, VA—The Bush Administration yesterday encouraged the U.S. Senate "to act favorably on U.S. accession to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea during this session of Congress."  This reverses America's long-held opposition to the treaty established by President Ronald Reagan in 1982. 

"In an 'here we go again' moment, the White House eerily opted to revisit an issue most conservatives thought was dead in the water," said American Conservative Union Chairman David A. Keene. "President Bush previously conveyed his skepticism toward American involvement in the International Seabed Authority (ISA) who would be given the ability to levy 'international taxes' from American citizens, without the approval of the U.S. Congress," continued Keene. "In addition to being perplexing, this reversal of course and word is dangerous."

"Reagan's opposition in 1982 recognized the treaty for what it was: a boneheaded attempt by one-world globalists who sought and continue to seek a global redistribution of America's wealth and power to third-world nations in an effort to apologize for what they perceive to be excessive American dominance on the global stage," noted Keene.

"Then we took it on in 1994 when the treaty was established with a Democratic president and once again beat back American participation.  We took it on in 2004 with this president, and beat it back another time.  Have circumstances changed so dramatically since then to warrant participation at this point in time? No," said Keene.

"This President can count on ACU leading the charge - again - against this legislation; and, any desire they might harbor to give away America's right to govern itself free from the involvement of foreign complainers who have always and will always oppose our commitment to competent self-governance. Our one million ACU members and supporters across America will be happy to remind this President and this treaty's advocates on Capitol Hill that conservatives will not stand for this or any concession of American sovereignty," concluded Keene.

Former Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN) unsuccessfully tried to push the Law of the Sea Treaty through that committee in 2004. The effort was thwarted by widespread conservative opposition to the treaty's ratification - an issue highlighted at the 2005 Conservative Political Action Conference, where former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Jeane Kirkpatrick recognized and reminded Americans that the "fundamentally open-ended" treaty would concede America's right to govern itself to an international body with global tax-inducing power.