The Asian Island Dispute

There is a large dispute in Asia over small islands located between China, Taiwan and Japan. These islands have few people living there and a few resources but nothing that would be worth going to war over, right? Apparently these countries see it differently. China has mounted their flag on the island claiming it is theirs while Japan has brought choppers and ships to claim the island as theirs. Other countries like South Korea, Vietnam and the Philippines have claimed that the island should belong to them. All of these countries are arguing over this small piece of land but why?

Many think it is because the countries do not want to look weak in the eyes of others. They want to show their dominance over the other countries. Citizens of the countries back their governments believing that their country has the right to claim it. Everyone is so nationalistic that they are willing to go to extreme lengths over these islands.

China and Japan have had a rocky relationship for a long time now. Since WWII when Japan invaded and massacred thousands of Chinese people for their colonial conquests, the Chinese have seen them as evil, heartless soldiers. China is also in the middle of a leadership change and will want to seem like they have everything under control. The government also does not want to be pushed around in fear that the other countries will see them as weak and use it to push the country around. For this reason, they have to stand up to Japan and show that their country is not the same as it was in the last century.

It’s brinkmanship from the cold war all over again. Both sides are willing to inch closer to a war just to see if the other will back down. This happened during the Cuban Missile Crisis when the Soviet Union and the USA wouldn't back down but inched closer to a full out nuclear war. Back then it ended by both sides willing to negotiate with each other, if both sides are not willing to talk to each other, then a full blown war could break out over a few small islands.