World politics

The sovereignty of the Spratly Islands has been disputed since the early 1900's. Since the 1970's, the dispute has taken on greater significance in world politics due to the possibility of oil reserves. The fact that China has become the regional hegemon in Southeast Asia has made the dispute more important. If China takes over the archipelago, world politics would be altered as China would in effect turn the South China Sea into a Chinese Lake. There have been many resolutions proposed in order to eliminate the conflict. However, most authors have focused on peaceful resolutions such as joint development or arbitration. The problem is that the relations between the claimants is not conducive to these resolutions. The establishment of a security community known as military prevention is one solution that has not been explored. It is a resolution to the conflict that would include demilitarization. It is this option that appears to be likely in lieu of the tensions in the region.

This thesis analyzes the historiography of Neville Chamberlain and appeasement through the lens of Oswald Mosley and British Fascism, arguing that an acute and unexpected convergence emerges between the ardent radicalism of Mosley and the utter rationality of Chamberlain, illustrating the uncanny degree to which appeasement as a policy dovetailed with fascism as an ideology. Beginning at the Spanish Civil War and ending in March 1939, politicians in the vein of Chamberlain - subsequently dubbed 'appeasers' - pursued appeasement as a means to placate German aggression. The British Union of Fascists, with Mosley at the helm, enthusiastically supported this movement and urged the British Government to intensify the appeasement campaign. Ultimately, the convergence of appeasement and fascism illustrates the severe lack of alternatives available to Chamberlain, and underscores the degree to which his pragmatic politics supported fascism abroad.