Ep. 22 | Brewing Conflict at Second Thomas Shoal

Zack Cooper, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, lecturer at Princeton University, and a member of the Vandenberg Coalition Advisory Board joins Flash Focus to discuss recent actions by Chinese Coast Guard forces that forcibly intercepted a resupply mission to a Filipino ship grounded at Second Thomas Shoal, which put the South China Sea region back into focus. The Philippines, a treaty ally of the United States, obligates U.S. defense of the island, which raises questions of further escalating tensions between the United States and China. Zack understands this incident amid China’s broader strategy in the South China Sea and its general campaign to supplant American power and joins Flash Focus to break it all down.

Jump to:

00:02:06 Context of the conflict at Second Thomas Shoal

00:05:45 Discrepancy between China's approach to Vietnam & the Philippines

00:10:06 American response to China's breach of international law

00:15:06 China's "dress rehearsal" for Taiwan

00:19:32 American response to China's action at Second Thomas Shoal

00:22:51 Strategic merit in multilateralizing the response to China