The Spratly Island dispute: An analysis (China, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan)

The sovereignty of the Spratly Islands has been disputed since the early 1900's. Since the 1970's, the dispute has taken on greater significance in world politics due to the possibility of oil reserves. The fact that China has become the regional hegemon in Southeast Asia has made the dispute more important. If China takes over the archipelago, world politics would be altered as China would in effect turn the South China Sea into a Chinese Lake. There have been many resolutions proposed in order to eliminate the conflict. However, most authors have focused on peaceful resolutions such as joint development or arbitration. The problem is that the relations between the claimants is not conducive to these resolutions. The establishment of a security community known as military prevention is one solution that has not been explored. It is a resolution to the conflict that would include demilitarization. It is this option that appears to be likely in lieu of the tensions in the region.