Solidifying sovereign power in liquid space: The making and breaking of ‘island chains’ and ‘walls’ at sea

Abstract

As new visions of international order emerged among major actors of the Indian and Pacific Ocean regions, calls for freedom and openness intensified. Yet, in maritime space, the strategies for implementing these competing visions produced contradictory outcomes. The increasing sense of urgency—especially among Chinese, Japanese, and US leaders—to strengthen their defences against dangers from the other has led to the creation of militarized ‘walls’ at sea. How did the seemingly oxymoronic walls come into being, and what significance do these bordering practices have for the conduct of international, regional, and national politics? Drawing from research on the social construction of boundaries and of maritime space, this study uses the cases of the Ryukyu Islands in the East China Sea and the Spratly area of the South China Sea to show how Sino-Japanese/US antagonisms mobilized the imagery of ‘island chains’ and ‘sea lanes’ for fixing meaning amid profound socio-economic transformations. However, despite temporarily stabilizing foreign- and security-policy ideas and solidifying sovereign power in the liquid space of the oceans, the long-term consequences of these precarious divisions can be seen only when looking beyond the erected walls at sea.