Far off in the Pacific Ocean, past thousands of miles of rolling waves, beyond the western coast of the Philippines, sit the Spratly Islands.1 Less than two square miles of visible land stipple 200,000 square miles of open water. Like paint droplets sprayed across the canvas of the South China Sea, dozens of uncharted reefs and uninhabited atolls form what sailors call the Dangerous Ground.
It is an ominous label for what amounts to some rocks, sand, and few palm trees. Despite six nations asserting ownership over the islands, no single nation, no single source, knows ...
