From Crisis to Cooperation: A Mediterranean Blueprint for the South China Sea
Can lessons from the Mediterranean offer a path toward easing the long-standing disputes in the South China Sea? As rival claimants navigate overlapping maritime claims and strategic tensions, experiences from another historically complex region may provide valuable insights for building dialogue, trust, and shared management of contested waters.
This article explores an emerging blueprint for cooperation that links lessons from Mediterranean maritime governance to one of Asia’s most sensitive hotspots. For readers focused on regional conflict resolution and innovative diplomacy, it offers a compelling look at how historical precedents can shape future approaches to stability.
James Borton, Senior Fellow at FPI, wrote in Modern Diplomacy on May 4, 2025, proposing a Mediterranean model for the South China Sea.