Disputes by China, Taiwan and Japan over a chain of small islands reached a fever pitch this month, after Japan formally gained ownership of three of the islands from their private Japanese owner. This blog at Foreign Policy explains why this latest headache in the South China Sea is also an American headache.

Why the Japan-China island dispute is an American problem
By Joshua Keating

Americans may see this as a problem between two longtime Asian rivals with little need for U.S. involvment — and judging by Hillary Clinton’s reception in Beijing last week, the Chinese government may see it that way too — but the fact is that the United States has played an integral role in the dispute from the beginning and will likely continue to be involved.

Oh, and by the way, the islands are near suspected undersea oil and gas reserves. Sound familiar?