May 27,2016 Open Forum

Washington Insights (Vol. 4, No. 3)

In April and May 2016, the extension and reinforcement of the international system drew repeated attention in Washington: bringing the Europeans into Asian security, solidifying cohesion with Japan in facing challenges in both the South China Sea and North Korea, assessing and responding to China and to Sino-Russian relations, and, most of all, strategizing about […]

Editorial Staff

EEU , Japan-US relations , OBOR , SREB

Apr 29,2016 Special Forum

Introduction to Special Forum

The relationship between the United States and Japan has changed under Prime Minister Abe and President Obama not only becoming more robust bilaterally, but acquiring new significance in trilateral contexts. This is evident along the southern reaches of Asia as Australia, India, and various countries of ASEAN now have reason to view Washington and Tokyo […]

Editorial Staff

Japan-US relations , South China Sea , trilateralism

Sep 23,2015 Open Forum

Washington Insights (Vol. 3, No. 5)

Four events drove discussions in DC in the normally quiet weeks of late summer. First, there was the Abe statement and the implications of historical memories for bilateral relations and US regional policy. Second, there was North Korea’s threat of war followed by direct talks with South Korea with uncertain implications. Third, Xi Jinping’s seventieth […]

Editorial Staff

History Wars , Japan-US relations , Nationalism Security , Obama-Abe summit , Regionalism , ROK-Sino Relations

Aug 13,2015 Open Forum

Washington Insights (Vol. 3, No. 4)

The Cold War era is looking different from before in hindsight of the 2010s. The key breakthroughs in bilateral relations now seem less transformative, even to a degree fleeting. The 1951 San Francisco Peace Treaty seems shakier, given Abe’s revisionism. The 1965 Japan-ROK normalization is under duress, given the rulings by Korean courts on “comfort […]

Editorial Staff

Abe-Obama summit , Japan-US relations , Regionalism , Sino-ROK Relations , unification

Aug 13,2015 Open Forum

Grand Strategy for South Korea? An Overview

All countries need a grand strategy. This is particularly true for the countries located in Northeast Asia. For the Republic of Korea (ROK), the nation’s geopolitical position, the limits of its hard and soft power, and the division of the Korean Peninsula make it very difficult to formulate a practical or feasible grand strategy. Under […]

Han Sung-Joo*

Japan-US relations , National security , Sino-Russian Relations , trust-building