Maritime legal controversies in the South China Sea are not as bad as they are often characterized. However, divides are exacerbated by American unwillingness to accept international standards such as the UN Law of the Sea — and made worse by the Eurocentric bias of current international law, which has long ignored Asian cultures and traditions.

In an echo of the Arab Spring of 2011, societal earthquakes in Algeria and Sudan shocked North Africa, ousting strongmen who had ruled for decades. The fallen presidents’ fate reveals the importance of the military in Arab societies and the central role of economic development as the foundation of political stability.

In the contested South China Sea, there are increasing concerns about public agendas fueled by private interests. The structures of Albert del Rosario's think-tank and its many bedfellows are a case in point.

With big-power competition intensifying in the South China Sea region, the Philippines could be dragged into conflict. Reviewing the terms of the US-Philippine Mutual Defense Treaty can only provide minimal security for the entangled Philippines nation.

Trump’s Taiwan policy endangers peace and stability between the Taiwan Strait and risks causing catastrophe in China-US relations. Tsai Ing-wen should not mistake Trump’s policy as US support for Taiwanese independence and should see it as it is: a way to hedge against the mainland.

US delegates met with the Taliban this month in what resulted in the most comprehensive discussions between the two sides to date. Despite this progress, no breakthroughs were made, and negotiators must persist. Patience is a necessary attribute when on a course towards peace.

The Philippines is often portrayed as an American ally on the verge of defecting to Eastern powers, with Duterte firmly overseeing this strategic shift. Yet, a closer look reveals that the tough-talking Filipino leader doesn’t have the requisite power to unilaterally reshape his country’s foreign policy, nor is he interested in fully severing ties with the Philippines’ century-old ally, America.

The apparent unilateral action in violation of international law by the U.S. sends an alarming signal to the international community. Whether this is just a one-off deal or it signals the Trump administration’s change of policy back to unilateralism, it brings unpredictable consequences to international peace and stability.

Either scenario is possible, depending on what investigators discover about who was really responsible for the gas attack. Whatever the outcome, big-power cooperation against terrorism has been weakened, and IS terrorists likely were the only ones who were actually cheering amid the explosions of Tomahawk cruise missiles.

Some ASEAN countries efforts to woo Tokyo because of their suspicions about China’s strategic goals, thus creating an opportunity for Japan to enhance its presence in the region. But the real problem is Japan itself, and China and ASEAN countries should take anticipatory measures to protect the hard-earned détente in the region.