Contested spheres of influence

• Sphere of influence = a physical region over which a country believes it has econmic, political, military and cutural rights
• Ukraine:

  • Russia believes it is apart of Russia as it was in the USSR
• Ukraine:

  • EU + US sanctioned Russia following Crimea was and heavily since 2022
• Ukraine:

  • An increase in NATO troop deployment in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania + Poland.
• Ukraine:

  • Warm water port of Sevastapol - by choke point
• South China Sea:

  • Historic nine dash line says the territory is China's
• South China Sea:

  • Built man made islands to expend EEZ and reduce choke point - Singapore - lots of Western influence
• South China Sea:

  • Spratly islands hotly contested. Claimed by China, Vietnam, Malaysia and Phillipines who disputes the most
• South China Sea:

  • Suspected large amounts of oil (1.3b barells) and large amounts of fish there
• South China Sea:

  • China threatend to impose aviation identifcation zone over the region
• South China Sea:

  • 2014 China constructed an airport on Fiery cross reef
• South China Sea:

  • 2015 China developed military base on Subi reef.
• South China Sea:

  • "Great wall of sand" AKA artifical island building is dubbed as <--