Deriving a Campaign Plan for the Global Commons

U.S. National Security Strategy identifies the Global Commons as shared sea, air, and space domains which exist outside of exclusive national jurisdiction. Cyberspace, as yet a nascent domain, may be evolving into a new Global Commons as it acquires the five distinguishing characteristics such domains share. The international regimes created by treaties are voluntary affairs and states accept their constraints primarily to preserve their future interests when they lack the capability to exert control or enforce a sovereignty claim. However claims to the global commons and their governing regimes are not immutable. On the contrary, technological progress, resource scarcity and most recently, climate change, are making global commons more accessible and more desirable. The result is inexorable pressure for states to expand their sovereignty. To do so, states must be able to demonstrate sustained presence and possess the capability to act within the domain. As there exists no formal process to transition international regimes to recognized sovereignty claims, states must undertake the essential activity of engagement in order to preserve their interests among the regime stakeholders and be properly positioned to affect an expansion of national sovereignty into a global commons. This paper advocates a holistic approach, advancing a campaign plan for the global commons.