ABSTRACT
The front cover of the Economist magazine showed a clutch of small rocks and uninhabited islets, with a collective land area of less than 10 km2. In complete disproportion to their insignificant size, the caption suggested that China and Japan may 'really go to war over these'. This set of islands is located in the East China Sea, between China and Japan. They are currently notionally administered by Japan as part of Ishigaki City, Okinawa, and which calls the islands Senkaku. Kinmen is governed by Taiwan. It is an island chain with a resident population of around 120,000. Small islands suggest quick and total military operations. Once an enemy force has reached a small island, the usual outcome is eventual capitulation of the local garrison. Cuba is not a small island: it is the 17th largest island in the world, and the largest in the Caribbean. It is also a Ishigaki City, home to resident population of around 12 million.
