“A single spark can start a prairie fire.” — Mao Zedong. Mao understood the power of small, seemingly insignificant actions to trigger massive, uncontrollable events. Is this the fate that awaits the Indo-Pacific, where the world’s rising superpower, China, faces the potential of simultaneous conflict with three nations—Japan, Taiwan, and the Philippines? The region is…
“If They Can, Why Can’t We?” In the contested waters of the South China Sea, China has transformed barren reefs into militarized fortresses, and Vietnam has dotted the region with its own outposts. The Philippines, despite sitting at the heart of this maritime crossroads, lags with temporary shelters and a lone rusting warship at Ayungin…
Beneath the calm, turquoise waters of the South China Sea lies a powder keg: the Spratly Islands. This scattered collection of reefs and atolls, unassuming at first glance, has become the epicenter of a global power struggle. These aren’t just rocks—they’re gateways to immense oil and gas reserves, some of the richest fishing grounds on…
