December 23,2017 Open Forum

Expanding US-India Geoeconomic Cooperation Amid China’s Belt and Road Initiative

The United States and India have an opportunity to co-define and co-implement a geoeconomic vision for the Indo-Pacific, based on shared values of freedom and transparency. However, formidable obstacles remain to overcome. Efforts from the United States have been ad hoc and at times self-defeating, such as withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement. Furthermore, India..

Daniel Kliman , Manpreet S. Anand
BRI , China Pakistan Economic Corridor , Indo-Pacific Economic Corridor , String of Pearls Strategy , TPP
December 05,2017 Open Forum

Sanctions and Nuclear Weapons are Changing North Korea

Sanctions are changing North Korea but not in ways expected by the world community imposing them, or by the Kim regime that is fighting them. Clearly, they have not yet succeeded in stopping North Korea’s nuclear program and, arguably, not even slowed it. But equally clear is North Korea’s increasing isolation from the global economy and, more importantly, loss of aid receipts tha..

William B. Brown
Byongjin , Economic sanctions , Juche , secondary sanctions , UN Security Council Resolution 2375
November 15,2017 Country Reports

Country Report: South Korea (November 2017)

From September to November of 2017, South Korean news editorials discussed Trump and Moon’s UN speeches and the growing dissonance in their approaches toward North Korea. They also covered bilateral dynamics, emphasizing US-North Korea relations, US-South Korea economic relations, and China-South Korea détente over THAAD. Lastly, South Korean media traced Trump’s visit to Asia,..

Eun A Jo
APEC , KORUS FTA , Moon-Xi summit , Trump-Moon summit , Trump-Xi Summit , UN General Assembly
November 04,2017 Special Forum

The Trajectory of Chinese Foreign Policy: From Reactive Assertiveness to Opportunistic Activism

In recent years, particularly since Xi Jinping’s ascension to power, it has become commonplace for journalists and experts in the United States to describe China’s external behavior as growing increasingly assertive, even revisionist. Many commentators have attributed this shift to Xi, suggesting a causality between his leadership and China’s growing assertiveness. To many i..

Ryan Hass
19th Party Congress , AIIB , BRI , BRICS , communist party , Xi Jinping
October 30,2017 Country Reports

Country Report: Japan (October 2017)

The October issue of Bungei Shunju traced Abe’s trajectory as prime minister. It noted his persistent interest in Japan playing a leading global role, keeping US ties as the foundation of foreign policy while strengthening relations with other countries including China and Russia. In 2014, China was the target, as Abe sought a first meeting with Xi at APEC in Beijing. The tricky war an..

Editorial Staff
BRI , BRICS summit , comfort women , Senkaku Islands , THAAD , UN sanctions
October 26,2017 National Commentaries

A South Korean Perspective

As surreal as the current talks of war between the two angry leaders are, many outsiders often wonder about the calmness of South Koreans, even while facing a belligerent northern neighbor that fires missiles, tests nuclear bombs, and repeatedly threatens a war of annihilation. It is true that Koreans have grown inured to perennial threats from North Korea for decades, and are not easily sha..

Joon-hyung Kim
Donald Trump , Moon Jae-in , Resolution 2375 , THAAD , US-South Korea-Japan
October 26,2017 National Commentaries

A Chinese Perspective

President Trump had a bad start in his governance in the United States, embroiled in bitter disputes with all kinds of people and suffering repeated frustration in promoting his agenda, but Trump has found a silver lining in dealing with North Korea’s nuclear and missile provocations. First, he has effectively replaced the previous administration’s “strategic patience”..

Cheng Xiaohe*
19th Party Congress , Donald Trump , Security Council , Xi Jinping
October 26,2017 National Commentaries

A Japanese Perspective

Whether he admits it or not, Prime Minister Abe Shinzo’s debt of gratitude to DPRK chairman Kim Jong-un is far-reaching—regarding Japanese domestic politics, relations with the United States, relations with South Korea, and perhaps even the future of Japan’s Constitution. First, both the timing and results of the 48th Japanese House of Representatives election of October 22 wer..

Glen S. Fukushima
Abe Shinzo , Constitution , Diet , Donald Trump , Komeito , Liberal Democratic Party
October 23,2017 Country Reports

Country Report: China (October 2017)

In the summer of 2017, Chinese analysts continued to evaluate Chinese policy toward North Korea and attempted to understand the Trump administration’s policy toward China and the broader Asia–Pacific. They also evaluated the lessons of Japan’s public diplomacy toward ASEAN and examined worsening China–India and China–South Korea relations. North Korean Nuclear CrisisIn rema..

Danielle F. S. Cohen (assisted by Dong Jiaxin)
AIIB , America First , BRI , Nuclear Suppliers’ Group , THAAD , US-South Korea-Japan trilateralism
September 29,2017 Country Reports

Country Report: Russia (September 2017)

The summer in Russia saw claims of optimism about Sino-Russian relations without much substance and amid some talk of having to move beyond megaprojects, which appear no longer promising. In the background were growing concerns about how well the EEU and China fit together or instead become a conduit for bypassing the customs agents in Russia. There was scant sign of any other path for the ..

Editorial Staff (with the assistance of Olga Puzanova)
BRICS , Eurasianism , G20 , Moscow-Kazan , Power of Siberia , SCO , Silk Road , SREB