F708Z Fall 2024 U.S./China: South China Sea Tensions

F708Z  U.S./China: South China Sea Tensions
Wednesday, 9:40—11:05, Oct. 23
One session
Instructor: Randy Ferryman
China's sovereignty claim of vast South China Sea (SCS) water, natural resources, and land features, demonstrated by its military buildup, harassment of U.S. military forces, and aggressive law enforcement harassment there against other SCS claimants, makes the region a potential flashpoint for a China/U.S. military conflict, according to U.S. policymakers and senior military officials. This course will describe China's claim to the SCS, the reasons for the claim, what it is doing to assert its claim, and its impact on other key claimants and their responses. The SCS is twice the size of the Mediterranean Sea and is a major source of food security, while being a critical maritime commercial and military pathway connecting the Middle East and South Asia with China, Japan, and the western Pacific region. The course will identify the role of international bodies in resolving SCS disputes and U.S. key interests in freedom of navigation operations and treaty commitments.
Randy Ferryman, since 2016, has taught five separate courses at OLLI on topics mostly related to the Civil War. He is a retired CIA senior officer who covered U.S. national security developments in the Middle East, the Soviet Union, and Russia. He has a B.A. in History, and an M.S. in Administration.