ARLINGTON, Va. — President Barack Obama’s new National Security Strategy, released Feb. 6, is an all-encompassing document but one that specifically addresses some maritime issues such as the Asia-Pacific rebalance, air and maritime freedom-of-navigation tensions that have arisen in recent years, the U.N. Convention of the Law of the Sea, counterpiracy and Arctic access. “The […]
The South China Sea ranks high on any list of the world’s geopolitical hotspots. But though the region has been volatile for centuries, the last two decades have witnessed a subtle shift in the underlying drivers of conflict. Through most of the second half of the twentieth century, the biggest threats to regional stability were […]
The Philippines on Wednesday lodged two diplomatic protests against China’s alleged harassment of Filipino fishermen off the Manila-claimed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea and its illegal harvest of endangered species in the same area. In a statement, the Department of Foreign Affairs said the diplomatic notes were handed to representatives of the Chinese […]
China continues to occupy regions in the South China Sea that have historically belonged to other countries, and continues a massive military effort to enforce its seizures. In addition to building oil rigs and taking control of fishing grounds in other countries’ territories, China has been building man-made islands to use as military bases and […]
How is China pursuing its territorial claims in the South and East China Seas while also avoiding overt confrontations with the US and other regional powers? According to James Kraska, Beijing’s coercive actions fall short – quite intentionally – of what constitutes an ‘armed attack’ in international law. By James Kraska for Foreign Policy Research […]