Competing territorial claims in the South China Sea continue to be a major flashpoint in the Asia-Pacific region. The countries at the heart of this dispute have made little progress in achieving a diplomatic solution and the threat of direct conflict is ever-present. ASNC, the RAND Corporation, and UC Berkeley's Institute of East Asian Studies are pleased to present a two-panel conference that will look more closely at the foreign policies and competing national interests of the claimant countries, and explore how these tensions are influencing political and social currents at home.