Tensions have flared in the South China Sea over recent months. Various naval encounters—particularly between U.S. ally the Philippines and China and a close call between a U.S. military plane and a Chinese fighter jet—may indicate a deliberate decision by China to heighten tension. President Biden has responded with an unequivocal statement that the United States will defend the Philippines in the event of an attack in these waters, calling the mutual defense treaty “ironclad.”
Is war coming? Are the uninhabited, contested rocks and reefs worth risking great power war? How can the United States most effectively act to resolve tensions rather than elevate them? This event will examine these questions, evaluate what U.S. interests are at stake in the South China Sea, and recommend policies to advance them responsibly.
Dr. Lyle Goldstein is Director of Asia Engagement at Defense Priorities. Formerly, he served as Research Professor at U.S. Naval War College for 20 years. In that post, he was awarded the Superior Civilian Service Medal for founding and leading the China Maritime Studies Institute (CMSI). His main areas of expertise include both maritime security and nuclear security issues. He speaks both Chinese and Russian and he has a PhD from Princeton, an MA from Johns Hopkins SAIS, and a BA from Harvard.
Dr. Shuxian Luo is an Assistant Professor of Asian Studies at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa. Her research interests include maritime security in the Indo-Pacific, Chinese foreign policy, and U.S.-China relations, especially crisis management. Her current book project, tentatively titled Taking it to the Sea: Escalation Decisions and Strategies in China’s Maritime Disputes, develops an analytical framework to explain when, why, and how China escalates incidents at sea arising from its maritime territorial and boundary disputes in the 21st century.
Lisa Curtis is a Senior Fellow and Director of the Indo-Pacific Security Program at the Center for a New American Security. She is a foreign policy and national security expert with over 20 years of service in the U.S. government, including at the National Security Council (NSC), CIA, State Department, and Capitol Hill. Curtis served as deputy assistant to the president and NSC senior director for South and Central Asia from 2017 to 2021.
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