U.S. sailor stands watch in the South China Sea. The United States has made it explicitly clear that international law will be the sole basis for arbitration of disputes among claimants in East and Southeast Asia. Source: CARAT’s flickr photostream, U.S. government work.
The U.S. State Department has put China on notice: international law will be the sole basis for arbitration the settlement of maritime conflicts in the Asia Pacific. In effect, it has rejected Chinese claims based on historical rights, questioning China’s nine-dash line for “lack of any explanation or apparent basis under international law.” Continue reading U.S. Takes a Strong Stance Against China’s Maritime Claims


Nelson Mandela, the prisoner-turned-president who reconciled South Africa after the end of apartheid, died on Thursday, December 5, according to the country’s president, Jacob Zuma. Mandela was 95.
