Why Subs? To Send Neighbors a Powerful Message – “Stay Outta My Yard”
Defense spending across Asia has increased substantially during the past 10 years, and looks to continue growing apace into the 2020s. Nowhere is this more […] More
East Asia
Asian Nations Arming for Underwater War
When U.S. President Donald Trump told Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte that the U.S. had two submarines in the waters near Korea, it began a controversy […] More
Asian Sub Spending Spree Raises Risks of Mistakes, Escalation
For more than a decade, Asian countries have been on a submarine spending spree. Some countries are updating obsolete vessels while others are purchasing submarines […] More
Japan, South Korea Shaken by Pyongyang, Beijing – And Now, Washington
South Korea and Japan are attempting to maintain business as usual in their alliances with the U.S., but the Trump Administration has not made this […] More
The Latest
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 of economic […] More
China-Japan Relations: Trading Goods While Exchanging Words
In her first press briefing as Japan’s new Defense Minister, Tomomi Inada sidestepped questions over Japan’s actions in the Nanjing massacre during WWII, confirming for […] More
Spinning Silk: Asia and the GCC
In antiquity, the overland route known as the Silk Road spanned impossible distances, connecting China and the rest of Asia with far flung markets in […] More
The Silk Routes of the GCC Versus China's One Belt One Road
Even before Chinese President Xi Jinping’s “One Belt, One Road” initiative, there has been a silk road in place between the Far East and the […] More
Losing Patience with North Korea
The United States and its allies believed their policy of “strategic patience” would allow them to wait for North Korea to denuclearize on its own, […] More
What to Do About Kim Jong-Un
In the wake of North Korea’s January nuclear test, White House spokesman Josh Earnest described U.S. goals for the Korean peninsula. “We want the North […] More
China’s Quagmire
The recent North Korean nuclear test and the subsequent disguised long-range missile test have seriously cornered China. The world community, especially the United States and […] More
Four Years with Kim Jong-Un
Over four years have passed since Kim Jong-un took over the leadership of North Korea after the death of his father, Kim Jong-il, in late […] More
Stability in the East China Sea
China’s less discussed territorial dispute is one that has the greatest potential for the United States to be drawn into conflict. While China has been […] More
China’s Likely Response to North Korea’s Nuclear Test
North Korean President Kim Jong Un announced Wednesday the successful test of what he claimed was a hydrogen bomb outside Pyongyang, and in doing so, […] More
Pyongyang Claims Hydrogen Bomb Test
North Korea tested what was initially announced by Pyongyang to be a hydrogen bomb on Wednesday, though the Obama Administration is skeptical. White House Spokesman […] More
Stability on the Peninsula
South Korean President Park Geun-hye’s statements continue to confuse observers. She has said that she is most interested in building trust with the North, but […] More
Prospects for War
Twice last month, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea asked the United States of America to begin discussions on a peace treaty to formally end […] More
Purges, Missiles, and Nukes
Amid all the uncertainties about North Korea’s unpredictable young leader, Kim Jong Un, one thing is clear: he has an unrelenting focus on security – his […] More
Unification: Burden or Opportunity?
While the end of the Cold War brought the reunification of East and West Germany, the Korean Peninsula has remained divided over the ensuing quarter […] More