Knowing Your South China Sea

I have a little personality quirk that requires me to do something that, to be clear about, I really wish everyone else did as well.

I am a firm believer that you cannot discuss military or foreign policy matters without a map within arm's reach. Without out geographical context, it is all just words and numbers. It is like trying to understand national borders without studying history - everything is unmoored conjecture and word salad.

Along those lines, I highly recommend that everyone bookmark the webpage of the Asian Maritime Transparency Initiative's webpage - specifically their Arbitration Map. Their "Features," "Analysis," and "Island Tracker" are all exceptional executive summaries of a complicated issue that will not be going anywhere.

Remember - always have a map handy.

Hat tip SteelJawScribe.