Apr 13,2020 Country Reports Country Report: Japan (April 2020) Geopolitics were not high on the media’s attention list in the first months of 2020; we need to look back a little to capture the state of the Japanese debate before it was put on hold. The pandemic saw people look inward, but China, its source, and the United States, soon to become its epicenter, […] Editorial Staff Abe-Putin summit , COVID-19 , GSOMIA , Senkakus , Shinzo Abe , Tokyo Olympics
Apr 06,2020 National Commentaries Second Chance to Boost Ties in Tsai’s Second Term Tsai Ing-wen’s return to power in Taiwan in January 2020 means that her flagship New Southbound Policy (NSP) is here to stay. President Tsai’s long-term vision to integrate Taiwan with the most dynamic countries in Asia, extending all the way to South Asia, and her comeback, offers a renewed opportunity to boost Indo-Taiwan relations. Her […] Deepa M. Ollapally Act East Policy , COVID-19 , Make in India , Narendra Modi , New Southbound Policy , Quad-Plus Dialogue , Tsai Ing-wen
Apr 06,2020 National Commentaries A Chinese Perspective on India Xi Jinping’s “Neighborhood Diplomacy” since 2018 is a response to Donald Trump and a recalibration of how to move toward Sinocentrism in light of difficulties with BRI and past policies toward regional great and middle powers. Varied approaches have been taken to US allies and members of the aspirational Quad. To Japan, an about-face has […] Gilbert Rozman "Belt and Road" Initiative , COVID-19 , Indo-Pacific strategy , Narendra Modi , RCEP , Shanghai Cooperation Organization , Xi Jinping
Mar 30,2020 Country Reports Country Report: Russia (March 2020) Russians agree that this is a period of transformation, but there are differences regarding the nature of the changes. Essentially, three schools of thought can be discerned in recent articles. The variables differentiating them are not always fully apparent, but we can assume that three matter most: 1) attitudes toward the authoritarian and censorship drift […] Editorial Staff (with the assistance of Olga Puzanova) "Belt and Road" Initiative , community of common destiny , Coronavirus , COVID-19 , Eurasian Economic Union , Vladimir Putin , Xi Jinping
Mar 23,2020 Country Reports Country Report: South Korea (March 2020) In February 2020, the South Korean government tackled the coronavirus outbreak, also known as COVID-19. Following the diagnosis of “patient 31” in Daegu, the virus spread rapidly, and Korea raised its alert to the highest level. South Korean media focused on 1) ROK-China diplomatic relations; 2) South Korea’s supply chain disruptions and economic dependence on […] Yumi Ko Coronavirus , COVID-19 , Korea-phobia , Special Measures Agreement , THAAD , Three nos
Mar 19,2020 Special Forum Introduction As we awaken to alarm bells that this year has the potential to be transformative—a pandemic, a jolt to energy markets amidst climate change, the arrival of 5G, and far-reaching domestic political realignment—we should not lose sight of historical memories poised to be revived in a year of commemorations. Should 2020 be seen as a […] Editorial Staff Abe Shinzo , Cold War , COVID-19 , Donald Trump , Moon Jae-in , Vladmir Putin , WWII , Xi Jinping
Mar 19,2020 Special Forum Putin and Xi Eye the Soviet Collapse When commemorating the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II in the months ahead, Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping will find it difficult to recapture the spirit exhibited in 2015 when they stood together in Red Square and then in Tiananmen to proclaim shared support for a world order they insisted was established […] Sergey Radchenko "Belt and Road" Initiative , Cold War , COVID-19 , European Economic Union , Socialism with Chinese Characteristics , Vladmir Putin , WWII , Xi Jinping
Mar 19,2020 Special Forum Sino-ROK Relations on the 75th Anniversary of the End of WWII Beijing and Seoul have experienced ups and downs in their relationship over the thirty years since the end of the Cold War. At times, such as when President Park Geun-hye stood beside General Secretary Xi Jinping on the Beijing review stand at the parade in honor of the 70th anniversary of the end of WWII, […] Gilbert Rozman Cheonan Incident , Cold War , COVID-19 , Kim Jong-un , Koguryo dispute , Moon Jae-in , THAAD , US-ROK alliance , WWII , Xi Jinping
Mar 19,2020 Special Forum Japan-US Relations with Extension to Japan’s Ties to Russia and China The narratives of the end of the Cold War naturally start with the question of “what was the Cold War for Japan,” which, in turn, raises the question “what was WWII for Japan,” because in Northeast Asia, it was precisely Japan which became the major actor in waging this war. Thus, this analysis starts with […] Kazuhiko Togo Abe Shinzo , Cold War , COVID-19 , Donald Trump , Senkaku Islands , Vladmir Putin , WWII , Xi Jinping , Yasukuni Shrine