Sovereignty Race for Resources in the International Seas and Areas Beyond the National Jurisdiction of States (including Airspace and Space): A Transnational Security Theory

Throughout history, states have primarily designated lands as their areas of sovereignty. However, with the development of technology, they have entered a race to establish dominance and domination in the seas and the air. In this context, international seas (high seas) and international airspace have been determined as the common property of all humanity. Recently, space has also been defined as a common property of all mankind that exists beyond the borders of the nation-state sovereignty. In all these areas, various states and companies carry out activities such as fishing, deep sea mining, laying pipelines and fiber optic cables to the seabed, airflow flights, and communication by placing satellites in space. The race for the use of resources in these areas, which are indeed the common property of humanity, brings about various discussions. It is essential to discuss whether a state or company’s use of these areas as it wishes harms the rights of people who do not have this technology or capability in these areas. In this context, this article will focus on sovereignty struggles in sea, air, and space areas that are outside the national sovereignty of states, and it will mainly analyze the race for the use of resources in these areas. Moreover, it will also attempt to develop a theory of transnational security that delineates the limits of collective sharing by states on the use of these zones.