April 24,2017

The Case of China

In the shadow of the recent summit between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping, onlookers are eager for clues to the future of Sino–US relations and US policy in the Asia–Pacific. In the past context of a fairly stable US policy approach, China has developed entrenched perceptions of US policy, grounded in China’s assessment of its own national interests. Even when Sino–US relations are a..

Danielle F. S. Cohen (assisted by Dong Jiaxin)
AIIB , cultural diplomacy , Dalai Lama , Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands , OBOR , RCEP , Scarborough Shoal , separatism , Six-Party Talks , South China Sea
April 24,2017

The Case of Russia

When Russian and Japanese foreign and defense ministers met in Tokyo in mid-March for their 2+2 discussions, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov sensed the presence of a third party obstructing Russo-Japanese friendship. He told Japanese colleagues of his “concerns regarding consistent tendencies to a bloc approach” to Asia-Pacific security. Russia, Lavrov explained, promotes measures ..

Chris Miller
annexation of Crimea , Cold War , Korean War , military alliance , nuclear proliferation , regime change , sanctions , Six-Party Talks , THAAD , TPP
April 24,2017

The Case of South Korea

US and Korean attitudes towards one another are largely based on their understanding of the past relationship between the two countries. Far from being a "forgotten war," most Americans have an understanding that US forces fought and died on the Korean Peninsula in the 1950s. Their basic attitude towards Korea still has elements of protectiveness. They also know that Korea is an eco..

Mark Tokola
Anti-Americanism , authoritarianism , democratization , Gwangju massacre , military coup
April 24,2017

The Case of Japan

Japan has never been so closely attached to the United States as it is today. The military alliance has reached an apogee different from Japan’s hands-off approach to US ventures, which are not centered on the immediate defense of Japan. Prime Minister Abe’s attempts to address the historical gap in their relationship—evident from his speech before a 2015 joint session of Congre..

Gilbert Rozman
Anti-Americanism , bubble economy , Donald Trump , Hiroshima bombing , historical revisionism , pacifism , Pearl Harbor , TPP , Yasukuni Shrine