Rough Waters over Asia

I had hoped for a more peaceful world since the Berlin wall came down, but maybe that was just a prelude to a nightmarish world riddled with conflict - over oil, over food, over territorial rights, etc. I see more and more of these headlines on Yahoo and other websites, and it concerns me for several reasons. 

1. I want a more peaceful world for my children to inherit. 
2. I'm from Korea, and what happens to it concerns me.
3. I don't want to live in a might makes right kind of world. 

But, I wonder what the Chinese websites would say about America's international influences and policies.... I try to remember that I'm not getting the whole picture of the situation and that there's always two sides to a coin. But....

China insists it has right to put oil rig off Vietnam

http://news.yahoo.com/china-insists-put-rig-off-vietnam-122818355.html

Scores of Chinese Fishing Boats Invade Korean Waters

http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2014/05/02/2014050201344.html

As the world's population grows, the battle for resources (albeit food, water, energy, rare earth metals, etc.) will become even more fierce since economic growth will depend on having ready access to some or all of it. I wonder how much more dangerous the world will be when my children and grandchildren will take over the stewardship of this place.

Clive Cussler is one on my favorite authors. At a writer's conference while back, he was one of the speakers, and I tried to shake his hand at every opportunity. One of his books, and he write A LOT of books with the help of co-writers, titled Blue Gold. It's a riveting tale of world's powerful governments and people fighting over the dwindling source of potable water. When I first read it, a while back, I wondered if it would really come down to an awesome struggle like that, but now, with an increase in clashes over fishing rights, contradictory air space claims, mineral rights, energy rights, and more, I'm not sure an epic battle for water is that far off. 

The scariest part of all this is that parts of Chinese "posturing" reminds me of some pre-WWII events that took place in Europe. I hope I'm wrong. I hope China isn't going to just keep upping the stakes in Asian waters. I hope the world has learned something from the previous conflicts and take steps preemptively to prevent all out armed conflict (I haven't even touched on the situation in Ukraine). Is there a way to avoid all out armed conflict? I guess it all depends on whether one or the combination of USA, China and Russia believe in might makes right and try to test that adage.