The extended continental shelf: A geographical perspective of the implementation of article 76 of UNCLOS
Abstract The delimitation of the outer edge of the continental margin beyond 200 nautical miles is paving the way for areas where States exercise rights of sovereignty to be extended when their geographical locations with respect to the continental margin allows it. Sixty-one submissions and forty-five preliminary reports, involving a total of ninety-one States (submitted to 31.07.2001), enable some of the geopolitical consequences to be outlined. Amongst those that can be highlighted are sometimes substantial changes in States' territorial bases and economic potential, and the global balance between national and international jurisdictions. This article uses regional and global scale maps based on national reports deposited with the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) to present the main geographical and geopolitical findings. The geographical analysis similarly enables a quantitative estimation to be made of the effects of jurisdictional expansion on the “global commons”, of insularity and of the territorial gains made by the States concerned.
Lessons from the Bay of Bengal ITLOS case: stepping offshore for a ‘deeper’ maritime political geography
On 14 March 2012, the International Tribunal for Law of the Sea (ITLOS) delimited a maritime boundary with respect to multiple distinct maritime jurisdictional zones (territorial sea, exclusive economic zone and continental shelf) between Bangladesh and Myanmar (Bay of Bengal Case). ITLOS did not, however, wholly resolve the issues of marine governance that the two states face in the Bay of Bengal, leaving a number of complex and potentially problematic issues outstanding, including the unique creation of what was termed a ‘grey area’, the governance arrangements for which are open to debate. This commentary highlights future opportunities of research on the outer continental shelf and the grey area in political geography.
Thailand's Muslim Minorities: Assimilation, Secession, or Coexistence?
THAILAND is a predominantly Buddhist country. For most people its very name conjures up images of saffron-robed monks, temple bells, and statues of the Buddha-images that travel brochures or impressions gained during a fleeting visit do little to dispel. Yet a more careful scrutiny of the Thai scene reveals signs of a very different religious tradition existing side-by-side with the Theravada Buddhist establishment. For Thai Islam, its presence indicated equally by the halal foodstall in a crowded Bangkok market or by the silhouette of a minaret against a rural skyline, continues to flourish throughout much of the country. Today an estimated 1,750,000 people, about 4% of the total population, are Muslims, making Islam the second religion of Thailand.' This article briefly outlines the historical background and geographical distribution of Islam in Thailand, drawing particular attention to the ethnic diversity of the various Thai Muslim peoples, before analyzing the nature of contemporary political relationships between the Thai Buddhist establishment and Thailand's Muslim minority. Even though there can be no precise date for the introduction of Islam to Thailand, it is evident that Arab and Persian Muslims en route to