Last month, when I accepted the invitation to speak today I may have been channeling Sir Wilfred Jenks. Jenks famously invoked Proverbs 29:18 in arguing for idealism in international law -- “where there is no vision, people perish”, he insisted.1

When I heard that my assignment for today was to consider whether there is a role for the sort non-state posse comitatus enforcement of international law envisioned by Paul Watson and Sea Shepherd, I suspect I may have been subconsciously thinking, “where there is no vision, whales perish”. It will become apparent that much vision is required here because the law is not favourable to Watson.