ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the general overview of the SCS disputes, without specifically focusing on any single claimant state, in three different stages: the precolonial and colonial times, the decolonization period, and the recent developments. It examines the initiatives taken to resolve the dispute bilaterally, at the regional level and internationally. The nature of the dispute shows divergent views on the fundamental issue of the protracted problem, let alone the solution. There are different facets of the disputes which fall under the broader areas of territorial or sovereignty, maritime and geopolitics.
