Word: grotius
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...treaty, in effect, consecrates the dictum laid down by Dutch Jurist Hugo Grotius in 1609 that the oceans of the world belong to everyone. The problem, says Richardson, was that "the old Grotius order was breaking down." When negotiations first began, 50 countries had extended the traditional three-mile territorial limit to twelve miles, and many had pushed it to 200 miles. Bickering over fishing rights had even flared into gun battles. Freedom of passage through strategic straits was jeopardized. The discovery of mineral nodules on the seabed raised questions never defined in international law. The draft treaty attempts...