Reviewed by Stephen Cody
David Bosco[1] has a remarkable ability to write gripping stories about international organizations and international law. His latest book, The Poseidon Project, reconstructs centuries of maritime, military, and diplomatic history with the aim of answering two crucial questions: “who controls the oceans and what are the rules for their use?”[2] Answers to these questions, of longstanding concern to seafarers and national governments, are vital in a world where 80 percent of commerce now travels by sea.[3] The book’s expansive scope—from the rise and fall of British naval empire to the painstaking negotiation of the United Nations Law of the Sea Convention—offers a rich account of state attempts to manage the world’s oceans.
[1]. Contributing Editor, Foreign Policy & Associate Professor, Indiana University.
[3]. P. 8.
