Defending the invisible: The protection of submarine communications cables under international law

This poster deals with the protection of submarine communications infrastructure under international law, or more specifically the apparent lack of protection. Current international law of the sea was written in the age of satellite communication, before the advent of fiber optics cables, leading to very little attention to the protection of submarine cables under the 1982 Law of the Sea Convention. At the same time, the primacy of private players in this market has led to a form of sea blindness that States are only now waking up to, for better or worse, as threats by revisionist powers clearly show. As submarine cables form the backbone of our current societal way of life (transporting 95% of all internet and finanial communication among many other forms, including military and governmental), increasing their protection not just physically and militarily but legal as well is of vital importance. In the research shown in this poster, I have attempted to use both historical tools as well as treaty interpretation to show that if States want to, some form of legal protection is already available.