Dec 27,2018 Country Reports

Country Report: Japan (December 2018)

The last part of 2018 was marked by the hopeful aftermath of the Abe-Xi summit and the new push by Abe and Putin to resolve the long-lingering dispute between Tokyo and Moscow. These themes are covered separately in an Open Forum article. Below, attention is directed at the less positive coverage of Japan’s relations with […]

Editorial Staff
"Belt and Road" Initiative , America First , APEC , East Asia Summit , free and open Indo-Pacific , Korea boom , Tokyo Strategy 2018
Dec 20,2018 Country Reports

Country Report: China (December 2018)

In late 2018, Chinese experts assessed China’s relations with India and India’s maritime strategy in the Indian Ocean under the Modi administration. They examined the revival of the quadrilateral security dialogue between the United States, South Korea, India, and Japan, evaluated the impact of South Korean citizens’ views toward the United States and China on […]

Danielle F. S. Cohen (assisted by Dong Jiaxin)
"Belt and Road" Initiative , America First , free and open Indo-Pacific , Quadrilateral Security Dialogue , THAAD
Oct 23,2018 Country Reports

Country Report: China (October 2018)

In mid-2018, Chinese experts assessed China’s relations with South Korea and Japan’s increasingly autonomous approach toward North Korea. They examined the fragmentation of security cooperation mechanisms in Southeast Asia, evaluated the factors underlying the deterioration in US–Russia relations, and analyzed the evolution of US and Japanese efforts to balance against China. China-South Korea Relations In […]

Danielle F. S. Cohen (assisted by Dong Jiaxin)
America First , ASEAN Way , Asian security concept , Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands , THAAD
May 21,2018 Open Forum

Synopsis of the 2018 Asan Plenum: “Illiberal International Order”

The agenda of the 2018 Asan Plenum included a keynote address, a book launch, four plenary sessions, and fourteen panels meeting simultaneously in groups of two or three. My intention is not to be comprehensive but to reflect on commentaries about challenges to the international order: the fall of the order, Sino-Russian relations and the […]

Gilbert Rozman
"Belt and Road" Initiative , America First , Asan Plenum , illiberalism , Indo-Pacific strategy , Liberal international order , Trumpism
Feb 19,2018 Open Forum

How and Why Japan Has Saved the TPP: From Trump Tower to Davos

The Trump administration has employed “America First” as its defining electoral and governing slogan, viewing economic openness and globalization as harmful to US jobs and industrial competitiveness. It regards trade surpluses as evidence of winning and deficits as evidence of losing; the stated goal is consequently bilateral trade deals as the optimal approach to reduce […]

Terada Takashi*
Abenomics , America First , Japan-EU EPA , Japan-US FTA , RCEP , TPP , TPP-11
Dec 29,2017 Special Forum

A Civilizational Perspective

Donald Trump is pressing his idea of “America First,” which could have deep civilizational implications, undercutting “universal values” and adding momentum to recent assertiveness about distinctive civilizations by the leaders of the other great power players in Northeast Asia. Putting the emphasis on Abe Shinzo, this article considers the impact of what each leader is […]

Kazuhiko Togo
America First , China Dream , Donald Trump , Gosudarstvennost , Shinzo Abe , Take Back Japan
Dec 23,2017 Country Reports

Country Report: China (December 2017)

In late 2017, Chinese analysts explored Japan’s response to the North Korean nuclear crisis, its warmer relations with Russia, and conciliatory economic cooperation with the United States. They also analyzed South Korea’s foreign policy strategies, the implications of the Malabar exercises for Chinese interests in the Indo–Pacific, and the prospects for repairing Sino–Indian relations in […]

Danielle F. S. Cohen (assisted by Dong Jiaxin)
America First , Donglang dispute , Malabar exercises , middle power , THAAD , US-Japan alliance
Oct 23,2017 Country Reports

Country Report: China (October 2017)

In the summer of 2017, Chinese analysts continued to evaluate Chinese policy toward North Korea and attempted to understand the Trump administration’s policy toward China and the broader Asia–Pacific. They also evaluated the lessons of Japan’s public diplomacy toward ASEAN and examined worsening China–India and China–South Korea relations. North Korean Nuclear Crisis In remarks summarized […]

Danielle F. S. Cohen (assisted by Dong Jiaxin)
AIIB , America First , BRI , Nuclear Suppliers’ Group , THAAD , US-South Korea-Japan trilateralism
Jun 29,2017 Special Forum

The ROK-US Summit: Divide in the South Korean Media

As the summit between newly elected Moon Jae-in and Donald Trump draws closer, South Korean newspapers are sharply divided over Moon’s policy posture, its potential impact on relations with the United States and China, as well as the prospects of revising Seoul’s approach to North Korea, which may be at odds with the US approach. […]

Editorial Staff
America First , Donald Trump , Moon Jae-in , Otto Warmbier , Sunshine Policy , THAAD