Regional Disorder: The South China Sea Disputes

China’s rise casts a vast and uncertain shadow over the regional balance of power in the Asia-Pacific, and nowhere is this clearer than in the South China Sea (SCS). The significance of the fraught territorial disputes in this potentially resource-rich sea extends far beyond the small groupings of islands that are at their heart, and into the world of great-power politics. As the struggle for hegemony between the US and China intersects with the overlapping aspirations of emerging, smaller nations, the risk of escalation to regional conflict is real.

Sarah Raine and Christian Le Mière cut through the complexities of these disputes with a clear-sighted, and much-needed, analysis of the assorted strategies deployed in support of the multiple and competing claims in the SCS. They make a compelling case that the course of these disputes will determine whether the regional order in Southeast Asia is one of cooperation, or one of competition and even conflict.

‘Nuanced, balanced, informative and constructive in its policy prescriptions, this is really the best analysis of the complex South China Sea disputes in recent years.’

Amitav Acharya, Professor of International Relations and Chair of the ASEAN Studies Center, American University, Washington DC

‘Christian Le Mière and Sarah Raine deserve a standing ovation for writing a book that brings clarity to the complex, and generally poorly understood, mix of troubling security issues that hang like a black cloud over the South China Sea … For those who want to understand what in the world is going on in the South China Sea, this book is required reading.’

Michael McDevitt, Rear Admiral, US Navy (Ret.)

‘[This book] should be read by all those interested in the current developments and potential conflicts in the South China Sea – academics, politicians or policymakers.’

Hasjim Djalal, Senior Advisor to the Indonesian Minister for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries and to the Indonesian Naval Chief of Staff