Jan 20,2020 Special Forum

The Case of Donald Trump

Donald Trump came to office vowing to make many changes in US foreign policy, whether in terms of labeling China a currency manipulator,1 and addressing the US–China bilateral trade deficit,2 or questioning the value of alliances. As we enter 2020, it is worth reviewing how US Indo-Pacific policy has changed under the Trump administration, highlighting […]

Scott W. Harold
Donald Trump , free and open Indo-Pacific , freedom of navigation operations , Huawei , maximum pressure , the Quad , TPP , Trump-Kim summit
Jun 04,2019 Country Reports

Country Report: South Korea (May 2019)

Since the diplomatic collapse in Hanoi, talks between the US and North Korea have remained at an impasse throughout April and May, while President Moon Jae-in kept seeking ways to play his role as a middleman and bring the two sides back to the negotiating table. One such attempt was another meeting with President Donald […]

Kim Kimberly
Hanoi summit , Kaesong Industrial Complex , maximum pressure , Mount Geumgang , Six-Party Talks
Nov 15,2018 Open Forum

Washington Insights Vol. 6, No. 6

North Korea had slipped into the background, US-Japan ties had lost some significance, and China loomed ever larger as the fall began in DC. Concern was raised that as trade and security tensions escalated, a wholesale evaluation would occur on both sides, leading to a cold war. What had been engagement laced with hedging was […]

Editorial Staff
Abe-Xi Summit , BRI , free and open Indo-Pacific , maximum pressure , Sharp power , TPP , Trump-Kim summit
Aug 07,2018 Open Forum

Unwilling Bystander: Japan Befuddled Strategically in 2018

Compared to “shocks” in 1971-72 and 1987-89, when US policy shifted abruptly toward first China and then the Soviet Union, the shock of 2018 from the US shift toward North Korea is proving even more unsettling. It is seen as leaving Japan at greater risk, more seriously putting the alliance in jeopardy, and raising more […]

Gilbert Rozman
CJK summit , CVID , maximum pressure , Moon-Kim summit , Trump-Kim summit , US-ROK military exercises
Apr 19,2018 Country Reports

Country Report: China (February 2018)

In early 2018, Chinese analysts assessed the Trump administration’s tariff policies and considered various countries’ policies toward North Korea. They considered the Trump administration’s Indo-Pacific strategy, China’s South China Sea policy, and the necessity of ensuring maritime security in Southeast Asia for achieving the Belt and Road Initiative. A Simmering China–US Trade War? In a […]

Danielle F. S. Cohen (assisted by Dong Jiaxin)
BRI , Indo-Pacific strategy , maximum pressure , TPP , US-China trade war
Feb 13,2018 National Commentaries

A South Korean Perspective

On November 29, 2017, after conducting its longest-range missile test yet, North Korea declared itself a globe-spanning nuclear-weapons power and insisted that the United States acknowledge it as such. A government statement quoted its leader Kim Jong-un, who announced that his nation had “finally realized the great historic cause of completing the state nuclear force.” […]

Oh Joon*
Kim Jong-un , maximum pressure , New Year’s Day Address , Pyeongchang Olympics , Six-Party Talks , strategic patience