Soft Powers in the South China Sea: the ASEAN Way towards Conflict Resolution
16 Mar 2023
Room B
The South China Sea is home to many countries, with the majority of it being part of Southeast Asia. Seafarers and traders alike call the Sea as their home, while for some, their “property”. Indeed, it is an area of dispute and unlike any disputes, everyone wants to claim it as theirs. An approach to this would be the use of “soft power”, another type of preventive diplomacy and using the ASEAN-style of diplomacy, dubbed “Prosper Thy Neighbor”. This diplomacy style by ASEAN is used to prevent conflicts and providing resolutions and resolve to any partner of their dialogue relations. How good is ASEAN’s style of diplomacy and how does it contribute to the new art in conflict prevention? This paper will examine ASEAN’s way of conflict prevention and approaches towards stability, while analyzing the situation of the South China Sea, and recommending the way forward in resolving conflicts that has been tantalizing over the years.
Chairperson
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