The South China Sea Conundrum

September 9, 2011 by Richard Javad Heydarian

Recent months have witnessed renewed tensions over disputed territories in the South China Sea.  In response to China’s encroaching military maneuvers and the country’s designation of the whole area as part of its indisputable sovereignty, several South East Asian countries have found themselves dangerously vulnerable.

A murky legal regime has led to the emergence of a series of overlapping territorial claims in the area, but at the center of tensions are five key-actors: China, the Philippines, Vietnam, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and increasingly the United States.

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