New Sea Boundaries in a Swedish Perspective

Sweden’s experiences in applying the principles of the new international law of sea boundaries have more than local interest. Zonebound on all sides and thus never able to determine unilaterally the limits of her newly declared zones, the country has been forced to maneuver in a tight geographical and political situation against smaller brothers on three sides and a dominant eastern neighbor. It has been a tricky game in the borderland between legal principles and pragmatism, where trump cards have been islands of “sufficient” size, and where points have been scored through moderation rather than by overstraining the rules of the game. The rules themselves have shown themselves ambiguous and contentious, but the parties have preferred a non-binding discussion of their contents to the hazard of restoring to a referee.