Water is Thicker than Blood: A Structured Focused Comparison on International Relations in the South China Sea

Abstract: The overarching aim of this study is to gain understanding on what major state-centric international relations-theory could best explain certain aspects on modern inter-state maritime disputes. From neorealist and neoliberalist schools of thought an operational schematic was formed as a theoretical ram to break down and explain underlying structures in instances of the empirical data-universe, which consisted of interstate dealings between China, Vietnam and The Philippines regarding the contested territory of The Spratly Islands. The result was then put in comparison to distinguish which, if any conclusions could be drawn. Due to the highly limited scope and material of the study, some of the results could be put under scrutiny for being somewhat sparsely researched, while others could be expected to carry a fairly high validity. Mainly that of the neorealist school of thoughts high impact on state actions in the region. The study shows a staggering majority of neorealist markers in the actions taken by aforementioned actors, thus solidifying neorealism as the major theory.