Special Forum

[more]

"South Korea's Foreign Policy Options"

Jun 11,2015 Special Forum

Introduction: Decomposing and Assessing South Korea’s Hedging Options

Increasingly scholars have opined that South Korea’s response vis-à-vis a rebalancing United States and a resurgent China—like that of other Asian states (except Japan and the Philippines)—is neither pure-balancing nor pure-bandwagoning, but a less straightforward approach commonly termed “hedging.”1 That is, rather than completely siding with one power against the other, Seoul has opte..

Kuik Cheng-Chwee*

hedging , ROK-Sino Relations

Jun 11,2015 Special Forum

Option 1: Enhancing Military Deterrence

In the face of the intensifying threat from North Korea, the option that should be foremost in the strategic calculus of South Koreans is enhancing their country’s capacity for deterrence, relying, above all, on their own military forces and only secondarily on those of the United States. Without making a strong commitment of its own, Seoul is in a weak position to seek a greater commitment from..

Hong Kyudok*

KAMD , Kill-Chain , MRL

Jun 11,2015 Special Forum

Option 2: Strengthening the ROK-US Alliance

*The views expressed in this report are the author’s alone and do not represent the official position of the Department of the Navy, the Department of Defense, or the US government. The security environment in Northeast Asia has undergone significant changes over the past two decades and continues to evolve towards an uncertain future. Particularly important for South Korea has been the incre..

Terence Roehrig

OPCON transfer , ROK-US Alliance , THAAD

Open Forum

[more]

Jun 30,2015 Open Forum

The US-Japan Alliance and East Asia: Five Guiding Principles

Prime Minister Abe Shinzo’s trip to the United States in late April and early May was touted as a success and a boost for US-Japan alliance relations. The personal dynamics between President Obama and Abe appeared much warmer compared with their previous meeting in 2014. Public sentiment between the United States and Japan is at an all-time high. As indicated in the Pew Research Center “Global..

Tanaka Hitoshi*

AIIB , Japan-US alliance , SDF , TPP , US-Japan Defense Cooperation Guidelines

Jun 29,2015 Open Forum

Doomed by Dialogue? Will ASEAN Survive Great Power Rivalry in Asia

Pundits and policymakers increasingly see the changing great power politics in Asia (or the Asia-Pacific or Indo-Pacific, terms I use interchangeably) as an existential challenge to ASEAN. Of particular concern here is the growing military assertiveness of China in ASEAN’s backyard, the South China Sea, and the US “rebalancing” or “pivot” strategy. Added to this picture are Japan’s mov..

Amitav Acharya

African Union , ASEAN , Multiplexity

Jun 26,2015 Open Forum

Reimagining Asia: From Asia-Pacific to Indo-Pacific

The map of Asia is being reimagined. The idea of the Asia-Pacific, which made good sense as a framework for regional order in the late twentieth century, is giving way to another construct: the Indo-Pacific. This changing use of geographic terms has real-world consequences for how states and leaders perceive the regional strategic order, the challenges it faces, and the ways to address them.1 Acco..

Rory Medcalf

Asia-Pacific , Australia , Indo-Pacific , Middle Power Diplomacy

National Commentaries

[more]

"Reading Abe’s Washington Visit"

May 15,2015 National Commentaries

A US Perspective

  "Reading Abe’s Washington Visit"   A View from Washington   Prime Minister Abe Shinzo’s visit to Washington produced major developments in Japan-US relations, particularly security relations. A new set of defense guidelines was announced that opens the way for Japan to expand its defense role and capabilities in order to provide more direct military support to t..

Larry A. Niksch

historical revisionism , Korea Fatigue , normal nation , trilateral cooperation

May 15,2015 National Commentaries

A Japanese Perspective

  "Reading Abe’s Washington Visit"   A View from Tokyo   Prime Minister Abe Shinzo’s visit to the United States drew widespread praise in both Tokyo and Washington, but in both capitals a wary eye was kept on the reaction in Seoul. The visit proceeded in a triangular context. Not only were the media focused on how Japanese and Americans would respond to develo..

Kazuhiko Togo

China’s rise , collective self-defense , historical revisionism , Korea Fatigue , TPP

May 15,2015 National Commentaries

A South Korean Perspective

  "Reading Abe’s Washington Visit"   A View from Seoul   From the standpoint of what Prime Minister Abe Shinzo and President Barack Obama wanted to achieve during the most recent US-Japan summit, Abe’s US tour was a resounding success. While a last-minute breakthrough on TPP did not materialize, the two leaders vowed to expedite negotiations, but much more imp..

Lee Chung Min*

China’s rise , comfort women , historical revisionism , Kono Statement , territorial issues

Alternative Scenarios

[more]

Jun 12,2015 Alternative Scenarios

The Sino-Russian-North Korean Northern Triangle

There has been much recent talk about strengthening Sino-Russian relations, but few have considered the implications for their policies toward North Korea. In this exchange of views, we present the arguments for the revival of a triangle linking the three in opposition to the US-ROK-Japanese triangle, and we follow with arguments to the contrary. This leads us to reflect on the Cold War principles..

Editorial Staff

May 26,2015 Alternative Scenarios

US-China Military-to-Military Relations in 2015

With tensions growing over the South China Sea, an exchange about the state of mil-mil relations between China and the United States is timely. Are they improving, as some have argued over the past year or more, or are they actually worsening, as recent warnings and potential confrontations have indicated? In this two-part exchange, the pros and cons of arguments about the state of these relations..

Editorial Staff

Topics of the Month

[more]

May 18,2015 Topics of the Month

The Impact of Xi Jinping’s Governance of China – Ⅲ

Xi Jinping’s latest book, The Governance of China, is popping up in odd places. It was prominently displayed on Facebook-founder Mark Zuckerberg’s desk when he entertained China’s Internet czar Lu Wei in December 2014. As Zuckerman explained: “I’ve bought copies of this book for my colleagues as well. I want them to understand socialism with Chinese characteristics.” Then in late March..

William A. Callahan

China Dream , Personality Cult , Two Centenary Goals

Country Reports

[more]

May 18,2015 Country Reports

Country Report: Russia (May 2015)

Preparations for the May 9 Victory Day celebrations showcased Russia’s relations in Asia more than in Europe despite the fact that May 9 has long been recognized as V-E (victory in Europe) Day. While Kim Jong-un was expected until he suddenly had a change of plans, Xi Jinping was clearly the guest of honor. Articles focused on both bilateral Sino-Russian relations and the wider Asian context in ..

Editorial Staff (with the assistance of Olga Puzanova)

EEC , SCO , Silk Road Economic Belt , Ukraine

May 19,2015 Country Reports

Country Report: South Korea (May 2015)

The Park administration’s diplomatic strategy was tested in the last two months concerning AIIB and Japan. On AIIB, while Seoul kept silent about its decision before joining as a founding member, the pressure from Beijing and Washington was growing. The South Korean government labeled its diplomacy “strategic ambiguity,” but, on both the left and the right, commentators questioned if it coul..

Editorial Staff (prepared by Han Minjeong)

AIIB , historical revisionism , Kono Statement , THAAD

Jun 04,2015 Country Reports

Country Report: Japan (June 2015)

Optimism in Japan is in short supply. The Foreign Ministry organized an academic group to analyze Asia after 20 years and consider what Japan’s role will be in the Asia-Pacific regional order. On April 26, Asahi Shimbun reported on both the desirable and the undesirable scenarios identified by the group. On the negative side is continuation of the inward-looking tendencies of the United States, ..

Editorial Staff

One Belt, One Road , One Road"

Review Article

[more]

Jun 18,2015 Review Article

‘The Japan-South Korea Identity Clash: East Asian Security and the United States’

  Brad Glosserman and Scott A. Snyder, The Japan-South Korea Identity Clash: East Asian Security and the United States, (New York: Columbia University Press, 2015). As we approach August 15, the seventieth anniversary of the end of World War II, when Emperor Hirohito announced Japan’s unconditional surrender, the world waits with bated breath as Prime Minister Abe Shinzo carefully cra..

Sharon Yoon

historical revisionism , reconciliation , Shinzo Abe