The Group of 77 at the United Nations: An Emergent Force in the Law of the Sea

Authors Friedman and Williams trace briefly the diplomatic history of the Group of 77 in United Nations fora, then detail the role the G-77 plays within the Law of the Sea Conference. By providing illustrations of the G-77 bloc-policy process, the authors construct a model to explain G-77 behavior. They conclude that G-77 unity is now less certain than before because of the many cross-cutting interests at stake in the UNCLOS III milieu. They also cite Western intransigence as a unifying force for the G-77 under the "common enemy" principle.