South Korea’s Foreign Policy: Leaderless, but Not Rudderless
Within a week North Korea has gone beyond its New Year’s Day promise that it was close to testing an ICBM (Intercontinental Ballistic Missile), claiming […] More
Allies
South Korea’s Political Vacuum and the Trump Administration
The December 9th impeachment of South Korean President Park Geun-hye has created a vacuum of political leadership in South Korea. Normally, the South Korean president […] More
Congress Needs to Take Back National Security Power
The separation of powers is one of the instrumental components of American democracy. The President of the United States, as the saying goes, isn’t a […] More
Poland: Strong Defense Partner But Taking Undemocratic Steps
President-elect Donald Trump will inherit a close defense alliance with Poland when he enters the White House later this month. America is getting ready to […] More
Poland, the U.S., and NATO: Key Security Allies
Poland’s democratic institutions are under pressure from the ruling right-wing Law and Justice party (PiS). PiS efforts to control the judiciary and media risk alienating […] More
Poland Inches Closer to “Illiberal Democracy”
From Constitutional Court reforms that make the judiciary less independent of political power to restrictions on journalists to suppressing of the opposition, Poland’s ruling Law […] More
Will Turkey and Russia Make Up?
After the assassination of Russian Ambassador to Turkey, Andrey Karlov, by an off-duty Turkish police officer, relations between Ankara and Moscow have remained surprisingly resilient. […] More
NATO Reassures Russia Amid Tensions
NATO envoys and Russia’s ambassador to the 28-nation military alliance met in Brussels on Monday, as relations between the two sides remain tense. It was […] More
Independent Intel Key to U.S. Diplomacy
Washington understandably is exercised over the controversy between the Trump transition team and the Intelligence Community (IC) concerning the apparent Russian government hacking of websites […] More
Trump's Rift with CIA Could Damage Allies' Confidence in U.S.
The statement by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump dismissing the CIA’s findings that Russia had interfered in the recent election has implications for the Agency, the […] More
Security Risks amid South Korea’s Turmoil
Political turmoil in South Korea, following its president’s impeachment, could be exacerbated if North Korea tries to take advantage of a vacuum. That’s according to […] More
EU Looking Forward to 2017
The European Union remains strong, despite the British vote to leave the organization and Sunday’s Italian vote to reject constitutional changes backed by Prime Minister […] 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 a recent meeting […] More
Abe and Trump: Shared Interests, Uncertain Ground
The uncertainty surrounding President-elect Donald Trump’s foreign policy platform caused a sense of unease in Japan over the future of cooperation with the U.S. on […] More
The U.S.-Japan Alliance: A Safe Harbor
On Tuesday, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, alongside U.S. President Barack Obama, made a landmark visit to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. His appearance marked the first […] More
UK and Japan Ambassadors Affirm American Alliance
On the campaign trail, Donald Trump made several foreign policy statements which if, as President-elect, were to be put into practice, would undercut several traditional […] More
Mattis as Defense Secretary: Wartime Experience for a Country at War
Late Thursday, President-elect Donald Trump announced that he would appoint retired Marine General James Mattis – nicknamed “Mad Dog” – as Secretary of Defense. “They […] More
Sweden, Finland & Norway Deepen Defense Ties with the West
Sweden, Finland, and Norway (the only NATO member of the three) are inching closer to the western sphere of defense. Russian incursions over the past […] More