Archipelagos and Archipelagic States under UNCLOS III: No Special Treatment for Hawaii

The special status provisions of the Law of the Sea Treaty are limited to archipelagic states and a broad interpretation of the provisions to include archipelagos may directly conflict with the interests of large maritime powers to maintain freedom of the High Seas. This Note uses Hawaii as a focal point and discusses the competing policy issues as well as analyzing pertinent provisions of the Treaty in reaching the conclusion that no special status will be accorded the State of Hawaii