In October 2025, the Trump Administration announced a series of common policy frameworks with Australia and Japan to secure critical minerals and rare earth resources central to global energy and defense industries. Volume XLIX staff editor Matthew L. Giannotti examines how these bilateral agreements, coupled with legal concerns pursuant to Executive Order 14285, challenge the international authority of UNCLOS and ISA’s authority. This post explores the tension between U.S. strategic ambitions to counter China’s mineral dominance and a risk of eroding established norms of international maritime law.
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