Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Welcome! Log in to stay connected and make the most of your experience.

Input clean

How the U.S. Can Fight for Tokyo Too with Kim Jong Un

Within moments of greeting President Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago in mid-April, Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe clinched a key strategic objective for their meeting: a photo op.During the [...] More

Don’t Over-Hype the Trump-Kim Summit

Don’t Over-Hype the Trump-Kim Summit
Public reactions to prospects for a breakthrough at a Trump-Kim summit are proving a triumph of hope over experience. North Korea has been feeling the heat from the Trump administration’s effective [...] More

More from Thomas Cynkin

Tokyo Weighs Risks and Rewards of Atoms for War

Japan has the means, motive, and opportunity to produce nuclear weapons. However, as a matter of long-standing policy, Tokyo has kept its options [...] More

Long Menu of Options to Contain, Punish North Korea

China and North Korea were no doubt as surprised as anyone by Donald Trump’s dramatic electoral victory. They had probably anticipated that a new [...] More

Japan Meets Buyer Resistance in Asian Arms Market

Alongside his "Abenomics" economic reform package, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his government have sought to reform and expand the [...] More

North Korea: Stark Limits to U.S.-Chinese Cooperation

Upon coming into office, the Trump Administration quickly came to the correct conclusion that the Obama Administration’s policy of “strategic [...] More

Rebalancing the U.S.-Japan Relationship Under Trump

As President-elect prepares to take office, the new administration has an opportunity to adjust U.S. foreign policy direction with key allies. After [...] More

A Letter to the Next Secretary of State Re: East Asia

Chinese rivalry with the U.S. for regional dominance will be central to U.S. East Asia policy for the incoming administration. China’s aggressive use [...] More

Japan and China Drift Toward Confrontation

In an announcement on August 9th, Japan’s Foreign Minister stated that China-Japan relations were “deteriorating” in reaction to the recent [...] More

North Korea Hangs Up the Phone

North Korea informed the U.S. on July 10th that it would cut off the New York channel of communication to the U.S. Government. If American [...] More

Finding Common Solutions

The Cipher Brief: Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan have the technical ability to pursue nuclear weapons, but all three have refrained. What conditions [...] More