Liberal Order, a Façade?

There are some countries in the world that claim that all they want is the greater good and liberty for all. They claim that their practices are based on the ideas of liberty. They put on such a great show on the world stage that the rest of the countries are forced to believe that every word that they say is true and want collective good. This is what we call, ‘Liberal Order’. John F. Kennedy one said, “Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty.” Liberty is the essence of mankind and peace and when this is offered to the world with collective good, no country has enough power to turn its back on it. This façade that is put on by some countries successfully befools the rest of the world.

Let us take the example of South China Sea dispute. China has held all of the Paracel islands since a conflict with South Vietnam in 1974 that left 53 Vietnamese military personnel dead and it occupies at least seven of the Spratlys including Johnson Reef, which it gained after a naval battle with Vietnam in 1988. In accordance with international law, to acquire a territory, either by occupation or by prescription, a state must prove that it has exercised effective control over the territory for a long period of time. Occupation is the appropriation by a state of territory and prescription is the acquisition of the sovereignty title over the territory that is not terra nullius and legitimization of the title with the passage of time and the presumed acquiescence of the former sovereign. It means that the state has to perform sovereign acts over this territory. Vietnam claims to have discovered the Paracel Island in the early 15^th Century and thus the territory belongs to Vietnam. The basic problem here is not that China is trying to overthrow some previously established order or is trying to dominate other weaker countries like Vietnam. The problem here is that the so-called Liberal Order is so superficial and almost non-existent that China feels that it can do anything and no country can stop it from doing it. China’s aggressive infringement of Vietnamese territory although has inspired anti-Chinese protests and rallies in Vietnam and backlash from other institutions, there has been lacking any firm step towards China’s aggressive strides.

Vrinda Garg
20153015