Oil Wars: Why Nations Aren’t Battling over Resources

May 19, 2016 | Emily Meierding
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When China’s Haiyang Shiyou 981 oil rig sailed into waters off the Paracel Islands in May 2014, it provoked an international crisis. Hanoi insisted that the rig was operating illegally in Vietnamese territory. Both countries sent naval and fishing vessels to enforce their claims. Commentators predicted that the two states might come to blows. The confrontation died down, but a critical question remains: Do countries fight over oil resources?