The U.S.-Japan Alliance: Reform and Uncertainty
Japan is a nation in flux. Economically, the government is struggling to stoke growth with expansionary monetary policy and reform; demographically, it is challenged by […] More
Asia
U.S.-Japan Defense Relations Under Trump
During the 2016 U.S. presidential contest, Donald Trump was highly critical of the structure and costs of the U.S.-Japan mutual defense relationship and openly raised the possibility […] More
What in the World is Happening in Pakistan?
The last couple of weeks have seen almost daily terrorist attacks across Pakistan from a variety of bad actors: February 13: A suicide bombing during […] More
Marines Head to Australia: Still Working Toward a Full Deployment
In 2011, former President Barack Obama and then-Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard signed a deal to base 2,500 U.S. Marines in Darwin, Australia in an […] More
The Never Ending Story: The Morass of Afghanistan and Pakistan
The new administration must surely be thinking about the challenges of Afghanistan and Pakistan and what to do. The region has bedeviled outsiders for generations. […] More
South Korea’s Missile Defense: Balancing Between the U.S. & China
North Korea’s missile test on Sunday reaffirmed the case for greater missile defense in South Korea, but it did nothing to change China’s perspective on […] More
Missile Defense: Blocking Threats or Blocking Diplomacy?
North Korea’s latest test on Sunday of a nuclear capable Pukguksong-2 intermediate range ballistic missile displayed its inexorable advance in acquiring missile technology. The test […] More
Putting Missile Defense on Pause
The United States relies on missile defense systems to protect its allies and its troops stationed all around the world. Yet in some instances, the […] More
North Korea Tests Missile—and Trump
North Korea launched an intermediate-range ballistic missile this weekend, marking Pyongyang’s first provocation since President Donald Trump took office. The test coincided with Trump hosting […] More
Dialing Up Controversy with China
On Thursday February 9th, President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping had their first phone call. Accounts from both sides described the call as […] More
Top Cmdr Calls for More Troops in Afghanistan, Warns About Russia
The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan wants several thousand more troops from the U.S. and its allies to help break the “stalemate” in the 15 […] More
New Threat Landscape in Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia is emerging as an ISIS battlefield, and security threats in the region will accelerate and grow with the group’s global expansion – with […] More
A New Dimension in Myanmar
October’s attacks on the Border Guard Police bases by the insurgent group Harakah al-Yaqin (HaY) in Myanmar’s Rakhine state and their aftermath have raised concerns […] More
ISIS or al Qaeda Unlikely to Expand in Myanmar
The struggle of Myanmar’s Rohingya Muslims is a regular topic of discussion on jihadist online message boards, frequently cited as the ultimate case of persecution […] More
Myanmar’s Rohingya Crisis – Fertile Ground for Jihadis in Southeast Asia?
Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, has largely disappeared from the news since its military junta was replaced by a relatively reformist government after 2015 elections, […] More
Author Q&A: Joshua Kurlantzick, "A Great Place to Have a War"
When President Dwight Eisenhower left office, he told his successor, John F. Kennedy, that Laos was one of the United States’ most important foreign policy […] More
Trump Administration Faces Daunting Challenges in Afghanistan
One of the most daunting foreign policy tasks facing the Trump Administration is determining America’s path forward in Afghanistan. From the time he launched his […] More
The Path Ahead for Reconstruction in Afghanistan
The Cipher Brief sat down with John Sopko, Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, to discuss how the U.S. reconstruction effort should proceed in Afghanistan. […] More