Jun 17,2019 Open Forum

Domestic politics of China’s Belt and Road Initiative

China has an authoritarian political system and state-controlled capitalism. It is natural for foreign observers to predominantly view the autocrat-launched Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) as a cohesive geostrategy to project Chinese power abroad. Such a view, however, is premised on misunderstanding China’s domestic politics and overlooks deep fragmentation among policymakers in China and market […]

Min Ye
"Belt and Road" Initiative , Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank , Pakistan Economic Corridor , Shanghai Cooperation Organization , Silk Road Economic Belt , Silk Road Fund
May 28,2019 Country Reports

Country Report: Japan (June 2019)

In the first half of spring 2019, in the face of a difficult environment for diplomacy with North Korea, Sino-US relations, and ROK-Japanese relations, Abe Shinzo continued to show initiative. He was defying the odds in continuing his pursuit of Vladimir Putin and trying to join the fray in pursuit of a summit with Kim […]

Editorial Staff
"Belt and Road" Initiative , free and open Indo-Pacific , G20 , Northern Territories , Putin-Kim summit , Reiwa
May 27,2019 Country Reports

Country Report: Russia (May 2019)

In Rossiya v Global’noi Politike Sergei Karaganov continued his charges against the mindset of the majority of international affairs writers in the West and even Russia for their dangerous idea that the world is unpredictable, and influencing it is impossible. In his view the big players can shape it, and the elements of unpredictability are […]

Editorial Staff (with the assistance of Olga Puzanova)
"Belt and Road" Initiative , Beijing Consensus , BRICS , Pax Sinica , SCO , turn to the East
May 14,2019 Special Forum

Winning the ideological competition with China

The 2017 US National Security Strategy describes a vision of the international arena defined by a return of great power competition, with China as the leading rival of the United States seeking to challenge the liberal international order.1  As Robert Kagan recently argued, authoritarianism has reemerged as “a profound ideological, as well as strategic, challenge.”2  […]

Scott W. Harold
"Belt and Road" Initiative , America First , China Dream , Confucius Institutes , Donald Trump , free and open Indo-Pacific , Liberal international order , United Front , Xi Jinping
May 10,2019 Special Forum

The Case of Japan under Abe Shinzo

Consider the paradox of Prime Minister Abe Shinzo, who presented himself as the Japanese leader most committed to pursuing value-laden issues, becoming touted by 2019 as the one world leader in the caldron of Northeast Asia eschewing such issues for pragmatic pursuit of the national interest. Whether dealing with the leader of the United States, […]

Gilbert Rozman
"Belt and Road" Initiative , comfort women , free and open Indo-Pacific , Northern Territories , Yasukuni Shrine
Apr 30,2019 National Commentaries

A View from the United States

Although there is progress regarding the code of conduct (COC) for the South China Sea between ASEAN and China, the South China Sea is not without tensions.1 China’s first aircraft carrier took part in a naval review, along with latest-generation nuclear submarines, destroyers, and fighter jets in late April, marking the People’s Republic navy’s 70th […]

Ketian Zhang
"Belt and Road" Initiative , FONOPs , free and open Indo-Pacific , South China Sea , Spratlys , the Quad
Apr 30,2019 National Commentaries

A View from Japan

When he assumed office for the second time nearly seven years ago, Prime Minister Abe Shinzo made clear that Southeast Asia would not simply remain critical for Japan’s economic interests, but that strengthening diplomatic as well as security relations with the region would be critical in the future as well. Abe was quick to demonstrate […]

Shihoko Goto
"Belt and Road" Initiative , CPTPP , East China Sea , free and open Indo-Pacific , Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands
Apr 30,2019 National Commentaries

A View from Southeast Asia on South Korea

When Moon Jae-in announced the “New Southern Policy” (NSP) during his visit to Indonesia in November 2017, the Korean foreign policy watchers scrambled to find out whether there was a “Southern Policy” before. Though it is obvious that no president ever announced a policy of engagement with Southeast Asian countries as a “southern policy,” almost […]

Chiew-Ping Hoo
"Belt and Road" Initiative , 5G , New Southern Policy , Nordpolitik , Sunshine Policy
Apr 22,2019 Country Reports

Country Report: China (April 2019)

In early 2019, Chinese experts assessed Chinese–Korean economic relations, China’s relationship with South Korea, and the potential for extending the Belt and Road Initiative to Northeast Asia. They also evaluated the Trump administration’s Indo-Pacific strategy, long-term shifts in Sino–US relations and the evolution of the US–Japan alliance under the Trump administration. China–Korean economic relations In […]

Danielle F. S. Cohen (assisted by Dong Jiaxin)
"Belt and Road" Initiative , CPTPP , Indo-Pacific strategy , New Southern Policy , Six-Party Talks , THAAD
Apr 18,2019 Open Forum

Trump and Asia: Continuity, Change, and Disruption

The election of Donald J. Trump as president of the United States in 2016 sparked intense anxiety about the future of American leadership in Asia and the world. The new president’s attacks on alliances, trade, and global institutions; his praise of erstwhile adversaries such as North Korean leader Kim Jong-un; his adoption of the pre-war […]

Michael J. Green
"Belt and Road" Initiative , America First , Five Eyes , free and open Indo-Pacific , Quad , THAAD , TPP