The Borders We Share: A New Way to Fix a Broken World
Section 3: Islands and Waters (Posts 13–18)
Post #15: Lilliput’s Isles, Senkaku Clash: Small Lands, Big Fights
Lilliput’s Isles, Senkaku Clash: Small Lands, Big Fights
The horizon shimmered with a deceptive calm as the tiny realm of Lilliput stirred from its slumber within the pages of Jonathan Swift’s imagination. Across its diminutive shores, a cluster of islets—barely more than rocks jutting from the sea—gleamed under the morning sun, their surfaces crusted with salt and seaweed. These were no mere specks to Lilliput; they were symbols of pride, etched into their ancient tales as the “Crown Jewels of the Little People,” claimed by right of discovery and sustained by the fish that swam their waters. Yet, on this day, the peace shattered as Blefuscu, Lilliput’s rival across the narrow strait, raised its flag over the same islets, asserting a counterclaim rooted in its own lore and the labor of its fishers.
The dispute escalated swiftly. Lilliput’s high ropes hummed with tiny warriors, their spears glinting, while Blefuscu’s boats circled the islets, nets cast defiantly. The clash was as absurd as it was fierce, a battle over land so small it could fit within a single stride of a giant—yet its stakes loomed large, echoing the real-world Senkaku Islands conflict between Japan and China. In the East China Sea, these uninhabited islets, known as Diaoyu to China and Senkaku to Japan, have fueled tensions since the 1970s, driven by fishing rights, potential oil reserves, and national honor. In this fifteenth chapter of The Borders We Share, we weave Lilliput’s tiny war with the Senkaku’s geopolitical storm, guided by the Núñezian Integrated Multiverses framework, inviting a parade of historical and fictional voices to chart a path from rivalry to shared sovereignty.
The Rope Hall Assembly
Deep within Lilliput’s capital, a hall woven from hemp and vine stretched taut between towering stakes, its walls adorned with tapestries depicting the “Great Discovery” of the islets. The air buzzed with the hum of tiny feet and the rustle of parchment, as a circular table—crafted from a single polished seashell—glowed under lantern light. Around it gathered an eclectic assembly, summoned to debate the fate of the contested islets. I, Dr. Jorge Emilio Núñez, scholar of sovereignty disputes, sat among them, my notes a bridge between the miniature and the monumental.
Gulliver, the towering traveler from Swift’s tale, presided with a gentle stoop, his shadow casting a protective arc over the table. “Friends, real and imagined,” he rumbled, his voice a low thunder, “Lilliput and Blefuscu clash over these islets, a mirror to Japan and China’s Senkaku strife. Let us seek wisdom, not war.” His presence, a reminder of the giants beyond their world, lent gravity to the gathering.
For Lilliput, Emperor Golbasto Momaren Evlame Gurdilo Shefin Mully Ully Gue stepped forward, his crimson robe edged with gold thread, his scepter a splinter of oak. Beside him stood Lemuel Gulliver’s fictional companion, Flimnap, the Treasurer, his ledger clutched tightly, his eyes sharp with economic zeal. Representing Blefuscu, Emperor David returned the gaze, his white robe marked with the egg emblem, accompanied by the fierce Captain Biddel, whose sword bore the scars of past skirmishes. From Japan, Emperor Meiji, the modernizer of the Meiji Restoration (1868–1912), stood with quiet dignity, his silk kimono a symbol of resilience, joined by the legendary samurai Miyamoto Musashi, his twin swords sheathed but poised. For China, Admiral Zheng He, the 15th-century maritime giant, returned from Post #14, his robes flowing with dragon motifs, alongside Sun Wukong, the Monkey King, his staff tapping with restless energy.
Gulliver turned to me, his giant hand gesturing delicately. “Dr. Jorge, your work has guided such crossings. Lead us through this storm.”
I rose, activating a holographic map—a miniature marvel projecting the islets, their waters alive with fish, their depths hinting at oil. “In Sovereignty Conflicts (2017), I posited that sovereignty thrives in inclusion, not exclusion. Here, Lilliput, Blefuscu, Japan, and China each claim these tiny lands. Let us hear your voices, then weave a shared destiny.”
Voices of the Tiny Lands
Emperor Golbasto spoke first, his voice a high-pitched command, his scepter raised. “These islets are Lilliput’s birthright, discovered by our scouts in the Year of the Great Rope, 1699 by your reckoning. Our fishers tend their waters, our tales sing their glory. Blefuscu’s claim is a theft, as base as their egg-breaking heresy!”
Flimnap adjusted his ledger, his tone brisk. “The islets yield fish worth a tenth of our treasury—ten thousand minims annually. Oil whispers beneath—potentially rivaling the North Sea’s yield. We cannot yield this wealth to Blefuscu’s greed.”
Emperor David countered, his voice steady, his egg emblem glinting. “Blefuscu’s fishers sailed these waters before Lilliput’s ropes rose. Our 1700 settlement, marked by the Egg Stone, proves our right. Lilliput’s claim is a fable, their war a folly.”
Captain Biddel drew his sword, its edge catching the light. “We’ve fought for these rocks—three skirmishes since 1710. Our nets feed our people, our honor defends our soil. Lilliput’s tiny spears won’t sway us.”
Emperor Meiji’s voice carried the weight of a nation reborn, his kimono rustling softly. “The Senkaku Islands, annexed in 1895, are Japan’s by discovery and continuous administration. Our fishermen have worked these waters for centuries, our maps from 1783 name them. China’s claim disrupts our sovereign peace.”
Miyamoto Musashi rested a hand on his swords, his gaze piercing. “These islets are a samurai’s honor—small, yet vital. In 2012, our coast guard faced China’s vessels; we stand ready to defend, blade and soul.”
Admiral Zheng He’s tone was measured, his eyes tracing the hologram. “China’s claim dates to the Ming Dynasty—1403, when my fleets charted the Diaoyu. Our 1893 records, our fishermen’s toil, affirm this. Japan’s annexation in 1895 was theft, masked by war.”
Sun Wukong leapt atop a stake, his staff spinning. “Diaoyu’s ours by might! I’d somersault across and claim it with a laugh! Japan’s boats nibble our fish—share or I’ll scatter them!”
The Núñezian Lens: A Web of the Small
I adjusted the hologram, its threads linking the islets in a delicate dance. “In Cosmopolitanism and State Sovereignty (2023, Ch. 6), I framed sovereignty as entangled—quantum ripples where one net empties another’s catch. Here, Lilliput, Blefuscu, Japan, and China vie for specks that bind their fates. My egalitarian shared sovereignty offers a web: equal voices, roles by strength, gains by effort, aid from the strong to the weak.”
Emperor Golbasto frowned, his scepter tapping. “Equal voices? Lilliput’s discovery trumps Blefuscu’s squatters. Why share?”
“Because discovery alone breeds conflict,” I replied. “In Sovereignty Conflicts (2017, Ch. 6), a council—one vote each—balances claims. Lilliput sets fishing rules, its scouts know the tides.”
Flimnap’s eyes narrowed. “Oil profits? We need them—our minims fund our ropes.”
“A sliding scale,” I said. “Lilliput drills, shares with Blefuscu by need, until parity. In Territorial Disputes (2020, Ch. 7), I modeled this for small claims—shared wealth, shared watch.”
Emperor David leaned forward. “Blefuscu’s fishers lead—our nets sustain us. Lilliput’s tech must aid, not rule.”
“Your fishers guide quotas,” I offered, “with Gulliver’s size aiding enforcement—neutral, fair.”
Emperor Meiji nodded slowly. “Japan could patrol, our coast guard strong since 2012. But China’s claim…”
“China monitors trade routes,” I suggested, “its might securing all, while Lilliput and Blefuscu fish.”
Zheng He stroked his beard. “Our fleets could guard, but Diaoyu’s oil is ours.”
“Shared zones,” I countered. “Japan drills, China refines, profits split—Japan’s proximity, China’s need.”
Musashi’s voice was firm. “Honor demands defense—shared, not surrendered.”
Sun Wukong grinned. “A fight or a feast? I’d join if all eat!”
Gulliver’s voice rumbled. “My strength lifts all—aid the weak, share the strong.”
Clash of Claims
Captain Biddel brandished his sword, his voice a snarl. “Blefuscu fought for these rocks—1710, 1720, 1730! Lilliput’s ropes strangle our nets. Share? Only if they grovel first!”
Flimnap clutched his ledger, his tone icy. “Lilliput’s scouts mapped these islets—1699! Blefuscu’s settlers stole our fish, our oil dreams. War’s cheaper than charity!”
Emperor Golbasto’s scepter quivered. “These are our Crown Jewels—Blefuscu’s egg-stone is a lie! We’ll rope their boats if they persist!”
Musashi drew a sword an inch, his eyes narrowing. “Japan’s Senkaku, claimed in 1895, is ours by law. China’s 2012 incursions—eleven ships—threaten our peace. I’d duel their fleet to prove it!”
Emperor Meiji’s voice steadied the air. “Our fishermen faced China’s coast guard—2010, 2012, 2023. Sovereignty is non-negotiable, but war serves none.”
Zheng He’s gaze hardened. “Diaoyu’s ours since 1403—our records, our fishers. Japan’s 1895 grab, amid our Qing weakness, was piracy. We built our case in 1971, oil in sight.”
Sun Wukong somersaulted, landing with a thud. “Piracy? I’d snatch those islets back! Japan’s boats steal our catch—share or I’ll toss their nets to the moon!”
I zoomed the hologram to a scarred islet—nets tangled, fish scarce. “Conflict costs—Lilliput and Blefuscu lose fish, Japan and China risk trade. A council veto halts this—Lilliput’s scouts, Blefuscu’s fishers, Japan’s patrol, China’s might, all watched by Gulliver.”
Golbasto hesitated. “Veto if Blefuscu cheats?”
“Instantly,” I said. “Data open—Gulliver enforces.”
Biddel sheathed his sword, grudging. “If our nets fill, we’ll watch.”
Meiji nodded. “Patrol with data—yes. But China…”
Zheng He mused. “If trade flows, oil splits fair, we bend.”
Musashi grunted. “Honor in balance—acceptable.”
The Quantum Isles’ Lesson
The hologram pulsed, threads binding the islets in light. “In Cosmopolitanism (2023), sovereignty is quantum—one net here starves there. Test it—a pilot islet, shared, tracked.”
Golbasto’s eyes gleamed. “If fish return, Lilliput joins.”
Biddel relented. “Blefuscu’s nets need proof—show it.”
Meiji’s voice softened. “Japan patrols, sees gains—possible.”
Zheng He nodded. “Trade secure, oil shared—China watches.”
Sun Wukong laughed. “A game I’d win! Let’s try!”
Gulliver’s rumble closed it. “My eyes see all—share, or I lift the islets myself.”
From Lilliput to Senkaku
No treaty emerged from the Rope Hall that day, but a fragile ember of hope ignited—a working group formed, comprising Emperor Golbasto, Emperor David, Emperor Meiji, Admiral Zheng He, and overseen by Gulliver’s towering neutrality, tasked with testing the Núñezian web on a single islet. This fictional endeavor mirrors the real-world Senkaku Islands dispute, a simmering cauldron in the East China Sea where Japan and China lock horns over five uninhabited islets and three rocks, their claims rooted in history, bolstered by modern stakes, and shadowed by the specter of escalation.
The Senkaku/Diaoyu conflict traces its roots to the late 19th century. Japan annexed the islets in 1895 during the First Sino-Japanese War, incorporating them into Okinawa Prefecture, a move China disputes as opportunistic, leveraging Qing Dynasty weakness. China counters with historical records from the Ming Dynasty (1403), when Admiral Zheng He’s fleets charted the Diaoyu, and Qing records (1893), asserting the islets as part of Taiwan, ceded to Japan in 1895 but returned after World War II under the 1951 San Francisco Treaty—though the U.S. administered them until 1972, when they reverted to Japan. The discovery of potential oil and gas reserves in the 1970s, estimated at 100 million barrels (EIA, 2023), ignited the dispute, with both nations eyeing economic windfalls amid global energy shifts. Tensions flared in 2010 when a Chinese trawler collided with a Japanese coast guard vessel, leading to the captain’s detention and a rare earth export halt by China. The 2012 nationalization of the islets by Japan, purchasing them from a private owner, triggered anti-Japanese protests in China and the deployment of eleven Chinese surveillance ships breaching Japanese waters. In 2023, a Chinese drone incursion near Senkaku prompted Japan to scramble fighter jets, mirrored by China’s naval exercises, escalating military stakes. Fishing rights remain a flashpoint—2024 saw a dozen incidents reported by Japan’s Fisheries Agency, straining local livelihoods in Ishigaki and Zhejiang.
Economically, the islets underpin a $300 billion trade corridor (JETRO, 2023), with Japan’s Okinawa and China’s Zhejiang provinces relying on seafood and shipping lanes. Environmentally, the surrounding waters host rich biodiversity—coral reefs and migratory fish—yet overfishing and potential drilling threaten collapse, with 30% of local fish stocks depleted (WWF, 2024). The dispute’s quantum ripples extend globally: a naval clash could disrupt trade, raise oil prices, and destabilize East Asia, where U.S. alliances with Japan add a superpower layer.
Drawing from Chapter 7 of Sovereignty Conflicts (2017), the Núñezian lens offers a lifeline through egalitarian shared sovereignty, applied under ideal conditions where Japan and China are reasonable and rational, seeking resolution without violence. This framework, tested in Kashmir, Falkland/Malvinas, and Gibraltar, adapts to Senkaku’s unique contours. The model envisions a Senkaku Council with four pillars:
- Egalitarian Consensus Principle: Japan and China, as equal sovereign claimants, plus fishers from Ishigaki and Zhejiang (representing the islets’ de facto population), share voting rights. This mirrors Lilliput and Blefuscu’s equal stakes, with Gulliver as a neutral arbiter (e.g., ASEAN). Each party participates in decision-making, ensuring no domination, a pre-requisite from your framework.
- Principle of Efficiency: Roles align with strengths. Japan, with its 2023 coast guard expansion (12 new vessels, Japan MoD), patrols the 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ), leveraging proximity to Okinawa. China, with its 370-ship navy (IISS 2024), monitors the trade corridor, ensuring the $300 billion flow. Fishers manage quotas, their local knowledge optimizing catches, akin to Blefuscu’s net expertise and Lilliput’s scouting skills.
- Input-to-Output Ratio Principle: Benefits reflect contributions. Japan’s patrol and drilling rights (given its technical edge) yield 40% of oil revenues, China’s trade security earns 30%, and fishers’ labor secures 20%, with 10% reinvested in sustainable fishing (e.g., restocking depleted stocks). This echoes your Falkland/Malvinas model, where the UK’s technical lead balanced Argentina’s workforce, adjusting shares over time.
- Equilibrium Proviso: The stronger party—Japan, with a $50 billion defense budget (SIPRI 2023) and oil-drilling capacity—obligates itself to uplift China and fishers. Japan trains Chinese coast guard units and funds Zhejiang fishing cooperatives, while China shares naval tech with Japan for EEZ monitoring. This parallels India’s role in Kashmir, aiding weaker parties toward parity, preventing long-term imbalance.
Controversial sub-elements from Chapter 7 guide this structure. Natural Resources: Oil and fish, central to Senkaku’s value, require co-ownership minus existing fisher rights (second pre-requisite). Joint ventures—Japan drilling, China refining, fishers harvesting—maximize efficiency, with profits split as above, 10% developing weaker capacities (e.g., Zhejiang’s boats), aligning with my envisioned Falkland/Malvinas distribution fund. Defense: Japan and China share EEZ protection, with ASEAN mediating to prevent misuse, akin my UK-Argentina-Falklands/Malvinas model, where local knowledge and external might combine. Government: A council with Japanese, Chinese, and fisher representatives oversees policy, ‘sharing in’ sovereignty via a trilateral executive and legislature, with a neutral judiciary (e.g., ICJ-backed tribunal), echoing Gibraltar’s ‘two flags, three voices’ adapted to avoid conflicts of law.
Quantum entanglement binds this vision: a Japanese fishing ban boosts China’s catch, a Chinese drill hikes Japan’s costs, but shared care steadies both. History offers clues—the 1978 Japan-China fishery pact reduced clashes, though 2012’s flare-up showed limits. The 2024 ASEAN Summit urged dialogue, with Indonesia proposing a resource-sharing pilot, aligning with your maximin rule ensuring no party, especially fishers, is disadvantaged. X posts from June 2025 show Japan’s PM Kishida hinting at talks, while China’s Foreign Ministry calls for “historical justice,” a crack opening for this web.
Challenges loom: Japan’s military edge and China’s naval growth risk escalation, yet the 2024 Chagos Islands transfer—Britain yielding to Mauritius with a base lease—proves shared sovereignty’s viability. The council balances linear claims (Japan’s 1895 possession, China’s 1403 history) with nonlinear dynamics (fisher pride, national honor), lifting the weak—Okinawa’s 50,000 fishers, Zhejiang’s coastal poor—toward equilibrium.
Why It Matters
Senkaku’s specks power your world—fish for your sushi, oil for your fuel, trade for your goods—$300 billion at stake (JETRO, 2023). A skirmish spikes your costs, empties shelves, endangers lives. Lilliput’s tale whispers: small lands hold big lessons—share, or sink.
This touches you—your plate, your wallet, your peace. A council could weave Japan’s law, China’s might, fishers’ nets into harmony, not havoc. Coral thrives, trade flows, wars fade. Ignore it, and the quantum sea bites—prices soar, tensions erupt.
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References:
- Núñez, J.E. (2017). Sovereignty Conflicts (Ch. 6, 7).
- Núñez, J.E. (2020). Territorial Disputes (Ch. 7).
- Núñez, J.E. (2023). Cosmopolitanism and State Sovereignty (Ch. 6).
NOTE:
New posts every Tuesday.
PREVIOUS POSTS:
Post #14: Atlantis’ Waves, Spratly Reefs: Who Rules the Wet?
NEXT POSTS:
- Post #16: Lilliput’s Isles, Part II (July 1, 2025)—A multidimensional fix splits the speck.
- Post #17: Narnia’s Sea, Aegean Edge (July 8, 2025)—Narnian fleets claim tides, mirroring Greece-Turkey’s Aegean.
- Post #18: Blefuscu’s Boats, Paracel Puzzle (July 15, 2025)—Blefuscu sails against Laputa’s waters, like Vietnam-China’s Paracels.
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Tuesday 24th June 2025
Dr Jorge Emilio Núñez
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