"Sovereignty" and normative integration in the South China Sea: Some Malaysian and Malay Perspectives

The contest in the SCS suggests, among other things, the need to examine norms — and the way differences in norms might promote or exacerbate interstate tension. One approach to achieving normative integration is for a single dominant country to lead. President Obama, in his State of the Union Address in January 2015, suggested the United States should “write the rules” in “the world’s fastest growing region.” It is more likely, however, that in the Asian region of today a good deal of negotiation and possible compromise will be necessary. To this end, one requirement is a careful examination of the range of relevant perspectives — including not just China perspectives but also, in the case of the SCS struggle, those of other contestant countries…