December 18,2015 National Commentaries

The Malaysian POV: The Elephant in the Room – Is the Emerging Third Pillar Reshaping Asian Architecture and Regional Responses?

"The November Summits in Retrospect"   There was an elephant in the room at the recently concluded Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Manila as well as at the East Asia Summit (EAS) and other ASEAN-based meetings in Kuala Lumpur last month: the quiet, potential sway of China-centered initiatives and arrangements on the future of […]

Kuik Cheng-Chwee*
"Belt and Road" Initiative , China hub , Common Destiny , Regionalism
December 18,2015 National Commentaries

The United States POV: Southeast Asian Reactions to the Firmer US Posture in the South China Sea

"The November Summits in Retrospect" Summitry is often seen as a way for national leaders to directly hash out disagreements and reach some accommodation. That was not the case at this year’s East Asia Summit (EAS), where leaders seemed more interested in underlining their differences than reconciling them. Not surprisingly, the South China Sea dispute […]

Felix K. Chang
National security , Regionalism , South China Sea Initiative
December 18,2015 National Commentaries

The Japanese POV: Japan-US-Australian Trilateralism

"The November Summits in Retrospect" The “quasi-alliance” (jundomei) is an increasingly fashionable term of the Japanese government as well as the wider policy community in Tokyo to describe its rapidly growing security relationship with Canberra.1 Although the precise meaning of the term is yet to be defined (and the government certainly does not have in […]

Yusuke Ishihara
Capacity-building assistance , China gap , National security , Naval cooperation , Quasi-alliance , Regionalism , Rules-based order
October 12,2015 National Commentaries

The South Korean Perspective

"The Challenge for Park’s Summit with Obama after Abe’s Summit."   As President Park Geun-hye prepares for her meeting with President Barack Obama on October 16, her visit will bring to a close a year of intensive summitry between the US president and his key counterparts in Asia.1 On April 26-May 3, Prime Minister Abe […]

Lee Chung Min*
China's military parade , Japan-US alliance , Japanese SDF , National security , North Korea , Sino-ROK Relations
October 12,2015 National Commentaries

The Japanese Perspective

"The Challenge for Park’s Summit with Obama after Abe’s Summit."   The most important factor we need to consider in directing our attention in East Asia to developments since Prime Minister Abe visited Washington is the change in relations between China, the rising superpower in the region, and the United States, the leading superpower defending […]

Kazuhiko Togo
Article 9 , CJK summit , National security , normal state , US security
August 03,2015 National Commentaries

A Russian Commentary

"The Iran Nuclear Deal and the North Korean Nuclear Issue"   Russian policymakers, academics, and pundits who believe that the Iran deal was good and Russia stands to benefit from it recommend that this multilateral bargaining experience be replicated in disabling Pyongyang’s nuclear program. Those who regard it as the Kremlin’s defeat and fear Russia’s […]

Alexandre Y. Mansourov
Crimea annexation , Iran nuclear deal , National security
August 03,2015 National Commentaries

An American Commentary

"The Iran Nuclear Deal and the North Korean Nuclear Issue"   The international nuclear agreement with Iran has generated some speculation about the potential for resurrecting similar negotiations with North Korea. Indeed, the Obama administration’s dramatic shifts in policy toward Burma, Cuba, and now Iran might suggest an analogous gesture toward Pyongyang. But, while a […]

Bruce Klingner
National security , Six-Party Talks , Snap-back clause , Sony hacking
May 15,2015 National Commentaries

A US Perspective

  "Reading Abe’s Washington Visit"   A View from Washington   Prime Minister Abe Shinzo’s visit to Washington produced major developments in Japan-US relations, particularly security relations. A new set of defense guidelines was announced that opens the way for Japan to expand its defense role and capabilities in order to provide more direct military […]

Larry A. Niksch
historical revisionism , Korea Fatigue , normal nation , trilateral cooperation