| ID | 180309 |
| Title Proper | Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands dispute |
| Other Title Information | a dispute for dispute’s sake |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Szanto, Balazs |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | The article takes a critical look at the current state of the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands dispute in light of the recent escalation between China and Japan. The article's central thesis is that the practical significance of the dispute has diminished considerably due to developments in the security and economic spheres. Rather, the dispute continues to exist and escalate because of the domestic political interests of the respective governments. This recognition is important to manage the dispute effectively, to avoid hyperbolic arguments about the dispute's conflict potential, and similarly to avoid undue comparisons with the South China Sea. This article adopts a realist, rational-choice based approach to demonstrate the diminishing nature of the security and economic significance of the islands, which underpins a decreasing rationale for actively seeking an alteration of the status quo. The question of why the dispute continues to escalate is highlighted in the article's examination of how the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan and the Chinese Communist Party use the islands as a political symbol to pursue their own domestic and regional political agenda, in a way only tangentially connected to the actual dispute. |
| `In' analytical Note | Asian Affairs Vol. 52, No.3; Sep 2021: p.583-600 |
| Journal Source | Asian Affairs Vol: 52 No 3 |
| Key Words | Regional Security ; Japan ; China ; Senkaku Islands ; Diaoyu Islands |