Publication

This brief analyzes the Permanent Court of Arbitration's (PCA) July 2016 ruling on China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea. In particular, the text’s author examines 1) the arguments and evidence the PCA sifted through; 2) the post-decision options China has available, should it wish to continue its claims; 3) how the ruling validated the approach the US took towards the dispute; and 4) the possible reputational costs international law might suffer should China decide to flout the PCA’s ruling.