The vicissitudes of dispute settlement under the Law of the Sea Convention

The South China Sea Arbitration raises important questions about the potential operation of the dispute settlement system enshrined in Part XV of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (LOSC). This article explores the scope and different limitations that we are seeing in the interpretation of the LOSC dispute settlement regime with a particular focus on the South China Sea Arbitration. This examination questions the contours of the LOSC Part XV dispute settlement regime and its utility in resolving disputes relating to the South China Sea.