The South China Sea is well known as a hotspot of geopolitical tensions. But it is more than just that. It has been a critical node and nexus of trade, strategic rivalries, and the exchange of cultures and ideas for at least a millennium. The South China Sea: What Everyone Needs to Know® unpacks the complex and textured history of this region and offers incisive and thorough, yet accessible and balanced, analysis of current issues and potential futures.Why do small islands (and even reefs and atolls) matter so much? How and why do different players stake their claims? What is the environmental impact of all this? What are the prospects for conflict, or cooperation? Whatever one's particular area of concern, this volume delivers what's needed to understand the issues beyond the headlines, especially the troubled and multifaceted history and politics behind them.