World Scientific Publishing Company South China Sea Developments And Implications For Freedom Of Navigation

Review "This book makes its mark by explaining the South China Sea disputes not only from traditional considerations such as aggressive nationalism and sovereignty claims but also basing these explanations on theories of international relations that deal with the dynamics of how states behave in the international system. An excellent effort to enhance everyone's knowledge about one of the modern world's most potent flashpoints. A must read for scholars, students and policymakers dealing with maritime security." --Dr Vijaya SakhujaFormer DirectorNational Maritime Foundation, India"The turbulence in the South China Sea has evoked much scholarship in recent times. In this book the authors bring a fresh perspective of how changing global outlooks, China's assertiveness and COVID-19 related complexities have generated newer challenges and escalatory risks. The authors' scholarly articulation of the imperatives of the Freedom of Navigation Patrols as an operational manoeuvre to stabilise the region is of particular geopolitical and policy significance." --Professor W Lawrence PrabhakarAdvisorCentre for Public Policy Research, India"In this erudite and theoretically-informed book, Acharya lays out critical insights into a region of growing importance for world politics. It is a must read for both scholars and practitioners alike." --Geoffrey F GreshProfessor, National Defense University, USA andAuthor of To Rule Eurasia's Waves: The New Great Power Competition at Sea Product Description The South China Sea (SCS) has emerged as a theatre of political, economic, and security concerns not only for the countries in the region but also for the world at large. Contrary to conventional wisdom, the SCS issue is not about contestation over territory or control over resources alone. With military facilities including airstrips and artificial islands or structures being built in the area, concerns about freedom of navigation and the right to innocent passage have also become an overwhelming security issue and made the SCS region a flashpoint which, according to many assessments, can lead to confrontations including those involving conventional military means. Disruption of maritime passage could also hamper trade and commerce with very negative impacts on the economic development of the region and other countries. It is now being held that China could also be using the SCS disputes as part of a consorted effort to deflect geo-political pressures on account of the COVID-19 pandemic-related cover-ups and misinformation. This book explores the historical and strategic context of the South China Sea disputes and makes an assessment of the implications of the same for freedom of navigation and other regimes at sea. About the Author Arabinda Acharya works at the Rabdan Academy in Abu Dhabi (UAE). Before that he was with the College of International Security Affairs, National Defense University in the USA, and the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. He is the Director of the Centre for Peace and Development Studies, India. Acharya's areas of specialization include regionalism and human security (as listed in the United Nations Roster of Global Experts), political violence and terrorism, maritime security, and cyber security. Acharya has published 6 books and a number of articles in a range of journals of high standard including Foreign Affairs, Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, Washington Quarterly, Contemporary Security, Policy Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, Journal of Money Laundering Controls, Georgetown Journal of Asian Affairs, Global Brief, Small Arms Survey, CTC Sentinel, Contemporary Southeast Asia, Pacific Affairs, Harvard Asia Quarterly, Georgetown Journal of International Affairs; book chapters; and op-eds/ commentaries carried by reputed publishers and institutions. Antara Desai is a senior research fellow and editor with the Centre for Peace and Development