Jonathan Odom’s lengthy critique of my writings on U.S. freedom of navigation operations (FONOPs) in the South China Sea reminds me of Ken Booth’s famous statement in his classical work Law, Force and Diplomacy at Sea, that “the changing law of the sea is too serious to be left to international lawyers.” This is especially the case with serving military lawyers whose job it is to defend their country’s position. While I will take Commander Odom to task on some legal issues he raises, my main concern with his critique is the lack of attention to the political and strategic implications of the recent U.S. FONOPs.

… Sam Bateman is an adviser to the Maritime Security Programme at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University.