Admiral Sandy Woodward's interpretation shows why exclusion-zone debates can become too rigid. On this reading, parts of international maritime law rest on precedent, with grey areas that disappear when those precedents are treated as a fully codified rulebook. For ships outside the Total Exclusion Zone, attacking a civilian merchant vessel would raise a different question from attacking an armed national warship during active hostilities. This distinction separates the zone's warning function from the vessel's underlying wartime status.
Notable Point · 19:47-21:23
Why precedent complicates exclusion-zone arguments
In this interpretation, precedent-based maritime law leaves more room for judgment than a fixed code, especially when distinguishing enemy warships from merchant vessels beyond the exclusion zone.