http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/keyword/south-china-sea Inquiries Journal provides undergraduate and graduate students around the world a platform for the wide dissemination of academic work over a range of core disciplines. en-us Fri, 03 Apr 2026 13:32:16 -0400 Fri, 03 Apr 2026 13:32:16 -0400 http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1567/understanding-the-potential-for-conflict-in-the-south-china-sea By Bailey Wong - Foreign policymakers, academics, and regional pundits have all acknowledged the importance of the South China Sea. This region, rich in resources and trade, is the subject of intense territorial contest and is perpetually at risk for escalation and confrontation. This research analyzes the potential for conflict in the South China Sea by examining when and why China has used force in its past territorial disputes. Current theories in international relations offer multiple competing explanations for when and why states use force, highlighting different explanatory variables, such as military might... Sat, 31 Dec 2016 12:00 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1567/understanding-the-potential-for-conflict-in-the-south-china-sea http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1339/competing-claims-in-the-south-china-sea-viewed-through-international-admiralty-law By Constantine J. Petallides - The Spratly Islands sit in the eastern waters of the South China Sea, west of the Philippines and northwest of Brunei Darussalam and Malaysia.[1] The island chain consists of “more than 140 islets, rocks, reefs, shoals, and sandbanks spread over an area of more than 410,000 square kilometers.”[2] Some of the islands are totally submerged, some appear and disappear with the tides, and some are always above the sea.[3] Less than forty of the Spratly Islands’ features are islands under Article 121(1) of UNCLOS, which defines an island as “a naturally formed area of land, surrounded... Wed, 27 Jan 2016 05:36 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1339/competing-claims-in-the-south-china-sea-viewed-through-international-admiralty-law