United States on the Road to Isolation: The Cost of Non-Ratification

Professional paper for the fulfillment of the Master of Public Affairs and Master of Public Policy.This report analyzes four specific international treaties: the Arms Trade Treaty (“ATT”), the Convention on the Law of the Sea (“UNCLOS”), the Convention on All forms of Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (“CEDAW”), and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (“CRPD”). All four have been signed by the U.S., but not yet ratified by the Senate. We analyzed each of them within the context of three key criteria, namely, the cost of non-ratification as it relates to: (1) the U.S. economy, (2) U.S. global leadership, and (3) U.S. national security