Tag Archives: John Selden

Why Specks of Land in the South China Sea Are Fueling Tensions Between Beijing and Its Neighbors

They have names like Pigeon Reef, West Sand, Taisho-To, and Scarborough Shoal. Most are no more than outcrops of rock poking out of the sea. Most have never been inhabited. Few have any direct economic value. If not for the perceived fish and oil wealth in the waters around them, the spat over these specks […]

A National Strategy for the South China Sea

Abstract The United States should develop and promulgate a National Strategy for the South China Sea (NSSCS) as part of its ongoing efforts to counter Chinese aggression in the region and to resolve the disputes there in a peaceful manner. It behooves the United States to shift its current posture in the South China Sea […]

Has China Awoken a Sleeping Giant in Japan?

So the Naval Diplomat found a seam in the teaching schedule and promptly winged off to Tokyo, there to lend supersecret counsel to the Japan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Self-Defense Forces. Be afraid, China; be very, very afraid. While here I have consorted with greatness. A journey down Tokyo Bay to visit the U.S.-Japanese […]