August 27,2013 Topics of the Month

The ROK-US Alliance – 2

ROK-US Alliance Rescheduling the War-time OPCON Transition From a Time-driven Approach to a Situation-driven Approach ROK and US defense authorities recently held the 4th ROK-US Integrated Defense Dialogue (KIDD) and discussed increased North Korean nuclear threats and related security issues, including postponement of wartime operational control (WOPCON) transition, which is scheduled for Dece..

Koo Bon-hak*
combined forces command , deterrence , ROK-US Alliance , WMD threat , WOPCON
July 19,2013 Special Forum

A New Cold War? Introduction to the July Special Forum

With this first issue of The Asan Forum, we post our first Special Forum, five articles that address different aspects of a single overarching theme on Asian international relations. Each Special Forum will have an introduction, identifying common themes in the articles and pointing to some comparisons of their findings. Rather than five unrelated writings, we strive to achieve a multiplier ef..

Editorial Staff
infographics , New Cold War
July 19,2013 National Commentaries

Chinese Perspective

"New Model of Great Power Relations" How is a “New Model of Great Power Relations” Possible? The two decades following the end of the Cold War witnessed continuous peace, stability, social progress, and economic growth in the Asia-Pacific region as a whole, despite occasional disturbances across the Taiwan Strait and on the Korean Peninsula. Numerous institutions and mechanisms a..

Wang Jisi*
East Asia Security Architecture , East Asian Community , New Model of Great Power Relations , TPP , Xi-Obama Summit
July 19,2013 Special Forum

Cold War in Asia? China, Russia, and Asian Security

Although the Cold War ended by 1991, commentators, experts, and others repeatedly invoke this metaphor at any sign of great power tension. 1 Since the United States and China are the two strongest global and Asian powers, mounting bilateral tensions stimulate many to postulate a new Cold War between them. Others argue that US-Russian relations merely continue the Cold War, or a cold peace, or what..

Stephen Blank
Arms Race , Central Asia , Cold War , India , New Cold War , Sino-Russian Relations , Southeast Asia
July 19,2013 Special Forum

China and the United States Might Not Be Heading for a “New Cold War”

A broad range of issues is plaguing Sino-US relations in 2013. Strategic prospects might now be grimmer than at any time since the normalization of bilateral relations in 1979. The cybercrime charge from the White House about China’s military intelligence unit espionage aimed at commercial secrets is a burning issue.1 Edward Snowden’s revelations are prompting Beijing to assume “victim” st..

Zhu Feng*
Military Modernization , New Cold War , Rebalancing , South China Sea , Territorial Disputes
July 19,2013 National Commentaries

US Perspective

"New Model of Great Power Relations" Two Competing Visions of Asian Regional Order at Sunnylands A number of commentators in the United States and China argued that the summit meeting between Barack Obama and Xi Jinping in Sunnylands in early June represented a potential turning point in US-China relations. The meeting was never intended to be that. As White House briefers emphasized, ..

Michael J. Green
Bipolarity , New Model of Great Power Relations , Obama-Xi Summit , Pivotal Developments , Visions of Regional Order
July 19,2013 National Commentaries

South Korean Perspective

"New Model of Great Power Relations" The New Sino-US Relations: A South Korean Perspective The top leaders of the United States and China getting together to jointly articulate a vision of a “new model of great power relations” is a welcome sight for South Koreans. As a country that relies on the United States for its security while relying heavily on China for its trade, a conflic..

M.J. Chung
Denuclearization , New Model of Great Power Relations , Obama-Xi Summit , Park-Xi Summit , Sino-US Relations
July 19,2013 Topics of the Month

The ROK-US Alliance – 1

The ROK-US Alliance at 60 and Beyond The year 2013 marks the 60th anniversary of the ROK-US security alliance, which was officially established with the signing of the ROK-US Mutual Defense Treaty in October 1953. The number 60 carries significant meaning in Korea since it refers to the completion of one cycle of the zodiac and the beginning of a new one. For the past six decades, the ROK-U..

Choi Kang*
China , North Korea , Northeast Asia , OPCON , ROK-US Alliance , Security Architecture , SMA
July 19,2013 Review Article

Russian Perceptions of Sino-Russian Relations

A.V. Lukin ed., Rossiia i Kitaia: chetyre veka vzaimodeistviia—istoriia, sovremennaia sostoianie i perspektivy razvitiia Rossiisko-kitaiskikh otnoshenii [Russia and China: Four centuries of interaction—history, contemporary conditions, and perspectives on the development of Russo-Chinese relations] (Moscow, Ves’ mir, 2013), 704. As Stephen Blank’s article in this issue’s Special Foru..

Gilbert Rozman
Civilizations , Multipolarity , New Cold War , Russian Schools of Thought , Sino-Russian Relations , Strategic Triangle