Hot War in the South China Sea?

Like the deserts of the Middle East, the barren islands of the South China Sea now loom as a new theatre of war.  Asian countries, indeed America, too, are at odds over how to deal with this power-play by a rising China — if that’s what it is; or scramble for maritime minerals; or as recently witnessed in Chinese cities a resurgence of nationalism and loathing of Japan.

The South China Sea brings in China, Japan, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, little Brunei and unrecognized Taiwan. They represent the glittering success story of the developing world, the Tiger economies, the shared goal of wealth and education, the peaceful transitions to democracy — or at least away from violent jingoism and war that has blighted so much of Africa and the Middle East.

The sun-scorched, inhospitable rocks that have become global flashpoints are spread hundreds of miles apart in a horseshoe-shaped area subject to claims by many of the countries.