
US Speaking Tour – October 2014
I will be visiting the northeastern US in the second half of October to talk about the South China Sea. I’m doing about ten talks in all and most of them will be open to the public (although you might need to check or reserve a place in advance). There might even be an opportunity […]

A business angle – interview with BNN
Why the South China Sea matters to business – an interview with the Canadian business channel BNN. Topics included the importance of the US pivot to the region, the overlap between the regional territorial disputes and the wider strategic relationship between the US and China, how much oil and gas is really in the sea? […]

First review – “A splendid book”
A really excellent review of the book by The Economist, “Bill Hayton’s splendid book lucidly covers these disputes in all their complexity from virtually every angle—historical, legal, political, economic and strategic. A journalist with the BBC and author of a previous book on Vietnam, he tells a good yarn, even when the topic is as […]

China’s construction boom in the Spratlys
What’s changed as a result of China’s massive construction projects in the Spratly islands? Legally – nothing – but strategically – we wait and see. All the features that the PRC occupies in the Spratlys would be naturally underwater at high tide, so building on them, doesn’t mean they will count as ‘territory’ under international […]