A Study On The Territorial Disputes Between Latin American Countries And The Solutions

There have been existing controversies in territorial sovereignty and demarcation of maritime in Latin America for a long time. Boundary disputes in Latin America are frequent. In general, boundary disputes have been solved quite satisfactorily in Latin America. Some of the longest-lasting and most serious boundary disputes in Latin America have been settled since 1980 s, while others remain unsettled.Boundary disputes in Latin America are characterised by wide coverage, high percentage of arbitation and low-intensity conflict, which are rooted in both internal and external reasons such as colonialism, sacramble for resources, lack of clear demarcation,environmental disputes, domestic politics etc., which have great impact on the economic development of the concerned countries, regional security situation, bilateral relations between the concerned countries and the regional integration. Empirically, Latin American countries prefer to resolve disputes by peaceful solutions such as arbitration, mediation or negotiation between two parties.The International Court of Justice is not the only option for resolving disputes.This paper takes the Venezuela Guayana Boundary Dispute as a case of study to verify the general and universal rule and characteristics of boundary disputes in Latin America previously summarized.Empirically, the real way of resolving boundary disputes in Latin America lies on mutual understanding and sincerity in trying to resolve the problem,which provides us with beneficial enlightenment for solving boundary disputes and maritime demarcation with neighborig countries, particularly defining each other′s obligation with all concerned countries of the South China Sea issue, making equal and effective use of ocean resources, and working together to maintain the peace and stability of the South China Sea before maritime delimitation agreement come in to effect, as well as good preparation from political, legal, economic, and military aspects for effective control consideration.