SSN – Clancy, Tom

Book Preview

Preface: Prelude to War Though the name may sound obscure,

the Spratly Islands have been a cause of conflict in East Asia

for quite some time. Sovereignty over al or part of this

potential y resource-rich archipelago in the South China Sea is

presently contested by Vietnam, China, Brunei, Malaysia, the

Philippines, and Taiwan. Although the Manila Declaration by the

Association of Southeast Asian Nations in 1992 promised to

resolve this dispute peaceful y, the nations involved have yet to

arrive at a consensus about the future of this territory. In the past

few months, tensions have mounted between the East Asian

nations, and the need to have the United Nations serve as a

mediating force has been suggested. At this point in time, many

of the countries have stationed troops on the islands and some

have begun to build their own infrastructures, causing further

disagreements. “The dispute over the Spratly Islands has

served as a further impediment to healing many of the rifts

existing within East Asia. This issue needs to be addressed on

an international level before it escalates into higher forms of

conflict. The Special Political and Decolonization Committee

wil attempt to consolidate the interests of al parties involved