A View from Russia, China, and Sundry Progressives
May 01,2018 National Commentaries

A View from Russia, China, and Sundry Progressives

The optimism is palpable despite whiffs of concern. Many who had long been saying that North Korea only needed to be reassured to become a reliable diplomatic partner with willingness to abandon its threats and proceed to denuclearization in stages now feel vindicated. Instead of being some sort of madman, Kim Jong-un proved to be […]

Editorial Staff
inter-Korean summit , Pyeongchang Olympics , Regional security framework , US-ROK alliance
Mar 19,2018 Country Reports

Country Report: Japan (April 2018 with Focus on Korea)

Not only was Abe battered by a domestic scandal, his foreign policy was rocked by diplomacy, history, and trade shocks. The North Korean presence at the Winter Olympics saw Japanese media warning about Seoul turning soft and breaking away from the “maximum pressure” approach of Tokyo and Washington, which was reinforced by warnings in early […]

Editorial Staff
“smile diplomacy” , comfort women , Dokdo/Takeshima , Pyeongchang Olympics , Six-Party Talks , Yasukuni
Mar 14,2018 Country Reports

Country Report: Japan (February 2018)

Understandably, Japanese have been preoccupied with the Korean Peninsula since the start of 2018. In this Country Report, we cover issues not central to the serious matters over the peninsula, while in the upcoming Report, we focus exclusively on peninsular matters. Together, the two reports serve as coverage of Japan for the first two issues […]

Editorial Staff
“Year of China” , BRI , CPTPP , free and open Indo-Pacific , TPP-11
Jan 04,2018 Country Reports

Country Report: Japan (December 2017)

In late 2017, a succession of galvanizing themes dominated media coverage in Japan. At the beginning of November and again in mid-December, the media focused on Moon Jae-in’s turn toward China. Through much of November, it was Donald Trump’s travels to five countries in Asia, beginning with Japan. By early December, the focus had turned […]

Editorial Staff
North Korea , Russiagate , THAAD , TPP , Trump-Xi Summit , US-Japan FTA , US-ROK alliance
Jan 04,2018 Open Forum

Washington Insights: December 2017

Confusion reigns with scant clarification by the oft-dysfunctional US government. The preoccupation with Trump’s tweets and statements persists, obscuring other points of analysis of East Asian matters. North Korea is a perpetual concern. At last, new appointees in the State Department and the Department of Defense are giving some hope of professional competence to the […]

Editorial Staff
Donald Trump , Indo-Pacific strategy , KORUS FTA , Russiagate