Dec 30,2020 Special Forum Introduction This partial draft of the introduction will be expanded when the third article, which ranges more broadly across the Indo-Pacific region including the Southern Tier, has been elaborated. There is every expectation that Joe Biden will replace Donald Trump’s diplomacy, with stress on multilateralism. In Europe, this clearly means a reemphasis on NATO. In the […] Editorial Staff free and open Indo-Pacific , the Quad , US-China rivalry , US-DPRK diplomacy , values diplomacy
Dec 10,2020 Country Reports Country Report: Japan (November 2020) The late fall of 2020 was eventful for Japanese foreign relations because it meant the start of a new relationship with a US president—this time with a new Japanese prime minister; renewal of diplomacy with China—more intent than before on driving a wedge between Japan and the US; the signing of a broad trade agreement—RCEP […] Editorial Staff ASEAN , free and open Indo-Pacific , Hong Kong , RCEP , Senkakus , South China Sea , Tokyo Olympics , TPP , US-China rivalry
Dec 10,2020 Open Forum Washington Insights, Vol. 8, No. 6 The late fall of 2020 saw attention turn to Joe Biden, including his nominees for policy posts in national security and their thinking on the Indo-Pacific region. He prioritizes rebuilding alliances and partnerships, but some asked what would he seek from these countries. If Biden would not follow Trump’s lead in top-down diplomacy with Kim […] Editorial Staff BRI , free and open Indo-Pacific , Korean War , SCO , strategic patience , the Quad , US-China rivalry
Oct 12,2020 Open Forum Washington Insights, Vol. 8, No. 5 Leadership change was on peoples’ minds in the late summer and early fall of 2020. What would a Biden administration do differently from Trump in the Indo-Pacific region? How does the departure of Abe Shinzo impact Japan’s foreign policy, given his personalized relations with the leaders in the US, China, Russia, and India as well […] Editorial Staff COVID-19 , Donald Trump , free and open Indo-Pacific , Joe Biden , US-China rivalry , Yoshihide Suga
Oct 12,2020 Country Reports Country Report: Japan (October 2020) With Abe Shinzo’s decision to resign for health reasons at the end of August, discussion turned quickly to his legacy, including in international relations. One position was that he transformed Japanese politics, hollowing them out for foreign and domestic decision-making. He not only had been obsessed with amending the Constitution, he violated it with impunity, […] Editorial Staff "Belt and Road" Initiative , Donald Trump , free and open Indo-Pacific , Joe Biden , Northern Territories , Senkakus , US-China rivalry , Yoshihide Suga
Aug 31,2020 National Commentaries A US Perspective If those who predict an ideological cold war are correct, then we stand at the dawn of an open, intense clash between the United States and China over democracy, human rights, and the rule of law. Should Donald Trump make an improbable comeback and win reelection in November, the US side is bound to remain […] Editorial Staff Donald Trump , free and open Indo-Pacific , Hong Kong , Joe Biden , South China Sea , Xinjiang
Aug 27,2020 Special Forum Introduction On the northern tier of Asia, rethinking about geopolitics centers on three arenas. The first is the Sino-Russian nexus looking outward, particularly at the US role in Asia but also at linkages in which this bilateral relationship is enmeshed. The second is the Korean Peninsula, framed by South Korea as the centerpiece for regional reorganization. […] Editorial Staff COVID-19 , Liberal international order , US-China rivalry , US-Japan alliance , US-ROK alliance
Aug 04,2020 Open Forum Washington Insights, Vol. 8, No. 4 In mid-2020, US policy took a decidedly more negative turn toward China, driven by leaders whose foreign policy judgment was highly suspect. While there was bipartisan consensus on what was objectionable in Chinese foreign and domestic policies and on the necessity of a more robust pushback by the US and its allies, the specifics and […] Editorial Staff "Belt and Road" Initiative , COVID-19 , free and open Indo-Pacific , GSOMIA , Hong Kong , the Quad , US-China rivalry , US-Japan alliance , US-ROK alliance , Wolf Warrior Diplomacy
Jul 29,2020 Country Reports Country Report: Japan (August 2020) Japanese were asking in the late spring and early summer what the collapse of Sino-US ties means for their country and for bilateral relations with both parties. Would Abe’s pursuit of Xi Jinping, awaiting a delayed state visit by the Chinese leader, harm ties to the US? Would a lack of outrage about China’s policies, […] Editorial Staff COVID-19 , free and open Indo-Pacific , G7 , Hong Kong , Northern Territories , US-China trade war
Jun 01,2020 Country Reports Country Report: Japan (June 2020) The spring of 2020 saw a downturn in Sino-Japanese relations, which were now embroiled in the pandemic war of words, with little else on the foreign policy radar. Some warnings about North Korea and Russia were heard, while wishful thinking about South Korea also appeared. Some raised the puzzle of why Abe’s poll numbers were […] Editorial Staff "Belt and Road" Initiative , Cold War , COVID-19 , Northern Territories , Senkaku Islands , Wolf Warrior Diplomacy