Chansok Lak: News Collection

Regional Focus: Asia Pacific and U.S. Engagement

Little had U.S. focused on Asia, particularly Asia Pacific, during the Bush administration. In 2009 after Barack Obama was elected as a U.S. President, the U.S. strategy of "Pivot to Asia" and later the "rebalancing strategy" have remained controversial debate topics among scholars and policy makers and become hot headlines across most of newspapers around the world. In his second term, President Barack Obama announced to visit three mainland Southeast Asian countries - Cambodia, Myanmar, and Thailand - which have never before been done by any sitting president of the United States. Therefore, U.S. strategy in Asia Pacific has remained critical and thus given many implications to Southeast Asian countries and other regional players such as China, Japan, India, two Koreas, and Russia in particular.

Here are news, videos, and other documentaries:

Understanding the U.S. Pivot to Asia: On January 31 2012, the John L. Thornton China Center and the Center for Northeast Asian Policy Studies at Brookings hosted a discussion examining the announced rebalancing initiatives and their likely impact, especially on U.S.-China relations. Panelists also analyzed two key pillars of this effort, the evolution of U.S. force deployments in Asia, and the development of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) initiative on economic and trade issues. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8C96DZ5EpA

Counting the Cost - Pivot to Asia: The United States has been making effort to refocus its military, trade and economic ties with the part of the world that is actually still growing - Southeast Asia. But as ever it is not as simple as that because Barack Obama, the US president, has been touring Southeast Asian nations, trying to persuade them to join a trade-free agreement called the Trans-Pacific Partnership. The catch is that the agreement excludes China. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56CypoyiFD8

What are the implications on the ground for President Obama's so-called "pivot to Asia"? Ambassadors to key Asian countries explain during a panel at Emory University in Atlanta. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D__KrALR8dM

Here is the collection of interesting news since early 2012:

Can Australian Leadership Measure Up Globally: The past week has seen the climax of an Australian domestic political drama that has played out over the past three and a half years. Right at the end of the parliamentary term heading into a national election, Kevin Rudd dramatically wrested back the prime ministership from Julia Gillard. http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2013/07/01/can-australian-leadership-measure-up-globally/
Can Vietnam be another Start-up Nation: In order to overcome the middle-income trap Vietnam should focus on becoming competitive in its two areas of great potential: agriculture and information technology. http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2013/07/06/can-vietnam-be-another-start-up-nation/
Taiwan and Sunnylands: The Dog that Didn't Bark: The great fictional detective Sherlock Holmes once solved a case on the basis of something that did not happen: a dog didn’t bark. Under normal circumstances, most of us might regard a silent dog as a blessing. But as Holmes’ culprit discovered to his sorrow, there can be a downside to an otherwise happy circumstance. https://csis.org/files/publication/Pac1346_0.pdf
China's Li Yong wins UNIDO Elections: Implications from an American Perspective https://csis.org/publication/chinas-li-yong-wins-unido-elections-implications-american-perspective
Hun Sen's Homegrown Political Risk: https://csis.org/publication/hun-sens-homegrown-political-risk
“One ‘aw, shucks’ wipes out a thousand ‘attaboys.’” This old saw epitomizes relations between Japan and the Republic of Korea (ROK). Despite incremental progress in the bilateral relationship, insensitive remarks by politicians, media, analysts, and some in civil society from both countries have fuelled an action-reaction cycle of obnoxious nationalism. Under these circumstances, progress toward meaningful cooperation between Seoul and Tokyo seems distant. https://csis.org/files/publication/Pac1347.pdf
Elections dominated the news in both Korea and Japan. South Koreans elected Pak Geun-hye the first female head of state in modern Northeast Asian history and Japanese voters overwhelmingly returned the Liberal Democratic Party to power, giving Abe Shinzo a second run at prime minister. Unsurprisingly, both elections focused on domestic issues, Korea-Japan relations were downplayed during the campaigns. This did not stop observers from speculating about how both would rule and how relations might evolve because 2012 marks a considerable cooling in relations between the ROK and Japan. Surprisingly, North Korea was not a major factor in either case. The DPRK’s December satellite launch failed to disrupt or significantly change the dynamics of either election and was met with a predictable but muted sense of outrage from the US and the countries in the region. http://csis.org/files/publication/1203qjapan_korea.pdf
“Russia can pivot to the Pacific, too,” declared Dmitri Trenin, director of the Carnegie Moscow Center, the day the 24th APEC Leader’s Meeting opened in Vladivostok. To be sure, Putin’s “pivot” to the Asia-Pacific was part of Russia’s grand strategy with both economic and strategic components to make Russia a truly Eurasian power. A less noticeable “pivot” was by China. Russia was where both President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao made the last of their 2012 foreign visits – Hu joined the APEC meeting in Vladivostok and Wen went to Moscow for the bilateral prime ministerial meeting. Wen’s subsequent “long talk” with President Putin in Sochi highlighted the important and sensitive relationship. Meanwhile, Russian-Chinese military cooperation gained traction in the closing months of 2012. http://csis.org/files/publication/1202qchina_russia.pdf
India’s relations with the US and East Asia revolved around notable visits and anniversaries rather than any major policy developments in 2012. These visits and anniversaries should not be dismissed as symbolism without substance. India has achieved a modicum of satisfaction in its relations with the US and East Asia – encompassing greater diplomatic interchange, steadily rising though far from optimum economic ties, a role in security and military considerations, and inclusion in some if not all key regional multilateral efforts. But measured against just two decades ago when India was seen as a potential security threat, economically irrelevant, diplomatically isolated, and reeling from internal crises, India’s current engagement should be viewed as an upward if unfulfilled progression. Indeed, many in the Asia-Pacific region are frustrated because they want more, not less, Indian engagement. http://csis.org/files/publication/1203qindia_asia.pdf
The Japanese government’s purchase of three of the Senkaku Islands from their private owner and the sovereignty dispute over the maritime space around them dominated relations. In short order after the purchase, anti-Japanese riots broke out across China, events scheduled to mark the 40th anniversary of normalization of relations were canceled, trade and investment plummeted, and political leaders engaged in public disputations. To underscore Beijing’s claims, Chinese government ships regularized incursions into Japan’s contiguous zone and territorial waters near the islands. As both governments held fast to their respective positions, prospects for resolution appeared dim. Prime Minister-designate Abe Shinzo said in mid-December there was “no room for negotiations” on the Senkakus. http://csis.org/files/publication/1203qjapan_china.pdf
The appointment of Xi Jinping as general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party and the election of Park Geun-hye as president of South Korea raised hopes for improvement in China-South Korea relations. Pyongyang’s rocket launch provides an early challenge at the UN Security Council, where South Korea begins a two-year term alongside permanent members. Xi and Park will face a full agenda that includes management of growing economic ties, policy toward North Korea, and a complex regional environment beset by territorial and historical disputes. Another factor complicating the regional picture is that both leaders face territorial disputes with Japan under returning Liberal Democratic Party Prime Minister Abe Shinzo. http://csis.org/files/publication/1203qchina_korea.pdf
If the past four months saw little movement on inter-Korean relations, it is hardly surprising. South Korea’s current president (since 2008), Lee Myung-bak, is detested by the North – but the way the electoral cycle works in Seoul has rendered him a lame duck for the past year, as attention shifted to the hard-fought race to succeed him. In that contest, despite deep overall ideological rivalries, the one certainty was that Seoul’s policy toward Pyongyang will change. Both major candidates, as well as the independent progressive Ahn Cheol-soo, who made much of the running before eventually withdrawing, had promised to end Lee’s hard line and to try to mend fences with the North. With her victory, the task of defining that changed policy falls to Park Geun-hye. http://csis.org/files/publication/1203qnk_sk.pdf
Leadership changes occurred on both sides of the strait. As predicted, the 18th Party Congress saw Xi Jinping appointed as general secretary in Beijing. In Taipei, President Ma announced in September a complete reshuffle of his cross-strait and foreign policy team. In both cases, the personnel changes do not foreshadow any immediate policy changes. While Ma remains unwilling to address political issues in direct negotiations, some interesting Track-2 dialogues occurred. In October, Beijing gave visiting DPP politician Hsieh Chang-ting unusual high-level attention, and following his return Hsieh has tried, thus far unsuccessfully, to promote change in DPP policy. Amidst increasing tensions over the Diaoyu Islands, Ma is focused on asserting Taiwan’s interests primarily through his East China Sea Peace Initiative. http://csis.org/files/publication/1203qchina_taiwan.pdf
China’s efforts to maintain recent gains and further strengthen its South China Sea territorial claims dominated relations during the final months of 2012. Aggressive patrols by Maritime Safety Administration and fishing fleets along with diplomatic initiatives and administrative measures were supported by commentary that emphasized patriotism and the validity of China’s sovereignty claims. Several high-level exchanges emphasized the promise of increased beneficial relations for those who support or acquiesce to Chinese territorial claims. ASEAN remained in disarray and the prospect for moving forward on a binding code of conduct in the South China Sea seemed unlikely. http://csis.org/files/publication/1203qchina_seasia.pdf
The importance of Southeast Asia in the US “rebalance” to Asia was underscored by President Obama’s visit to Thailand, Burma (Myanmar), and Cambodia, covering both bilateral relations and the region’s centrality in Asian multilateralism. Secretaries Clinton and Panetta also spent time in the region. At the East Asia Summit, the majority of ASEAN states, Japan, and the US insisted that the territorial disputes in the South China Sea appear on the agenda despite objections from Cambodia and China. Obama’s visit to Myanmar included declaration of a “US-Burma partnership,” though the visit was marred by violence against the Rohingya. Washington is enhancing military ties with the Philippines, Thailand, and Indonesia as part of the “rebalance.” http://csis.org/files/publication/1203qus_seasia.pdf
There were several significant events in US-ROK relations as 2012 ended. President Obama won his reelection against Republican contender Mitt Romney and South Korea had a historic election, with Park Geun-hye of the Saenuri Party being elected as the first female president in the country’s (and indeed East Asia’s) history. Sandwiched between these elections, North Korea conducted a successful rocket launch, putting an object into orbit for the first time and marking a major milestone in its decades-long effort to develop an intercontinental ballistic missile capability. Meanwhile, the US and ROK successfully concluded an agreement extending South Korean missile ranges, but remained deadlocked on the revision of a bilateral agreement on civilian nuclear energy. http://csis.org/files/publication/1203qus_korea.pdf
The rare convergence of a US presidential election cycle and China’s once-in-a-decade leadership transition caused both countries to focus their energies and attention domestically in the last four months of 2012. The reelection of President Obama was a relief for Beijing. Although China has plenty of complaints about his policies, it preferred to deal with him for another four-year term, both because of the uncertainty that the election of Mitt Romney would have brought to US foreign policy and because the Chinese generally favor the status quo when it comes to US leadership. Washington was simply glad to get the Chinese leadership transition underway since it appeared that Chinese leaders and the bureaucracy were distracted and many decisions had been on hold pending announcement of the new leadership lineup. http://csis.org/files/publication/1203qus_china.pdf
The Liberal Democratic Party won a Lower House election in a landslide and Abe Shinzo became prime minister for the second time amid public frustration with poor governance and anemic economic growth. The United States and Japan continued a pattern of regular consultations across a range of bilateral and regional issues with tensions between Japan and China over the Senkaku Islands and another North Korean missile launch topping the diplomatic agenda. The US military presence on Okinawa also featured with the deployment of the V-22 Osprey aircraft to Okinawa and the arrest of two US servicemen in the alleged rape of a Japanese woman. The year came to a close with Prime Minister Abe hoping for a visit to Washington early in 2013 to establish a rapport with President Obama and follow through on his election pledge to revitalize the US-Japan alliance. http://csis.org/files/publication/1203qus_japan.pdf
It was deja vu all over again on the Korean Peninsula as the absence of bad news ended when Pyongyang again defied the international community by conducting another missile launch. ASEAN leaders at the round of summits in Phnom Penh managed to demonstrate greater unity than during their July ministerial, but there were no signs the territorial disputes in the South China Sea were closer to resolution. Hopes for genuine reform in Burma (Myanmar) soared as President Obama paid a visit while in the region for the East Asia Summit. Meanwhile, leadership changes were the order of the day in the North Pacific. The Liberal Democratic Party’s return to power in Japan amidst a nationalistic campaign promised to strain relations with the new leadership in South Korea and China, and perhaps with the new leadership team in Washington as well. The year closed with a flurry of trade meetings and initiatives designed to capture the energy of the world’s most dynamic economies. http://csis.org/files/publication/1203qoverview.pdf
An uncertain future and looming budgetary constraints raise legitimate questions about what the US military will look like years down the road. The United States has invested vast amounts of time and resources in working out an answer, be it through the Quadrennial Roles and Missions Review, the Quadrennial Defense Review, the Navy's 30-year Shipbuilding Plan, or simply the defense authorization put forth every year. These documents offer insight, but no definitive answer. As General Peter Chiarelli, then vice chief of the Army, once put it, "We have been one hundred percent right in something, and that's never getting anything right." https://csis.org/files/publication/Pac1288.pdf
The incoming ASEAN Secretary General, Le Luong Minh, is expected to accelerate ASEAN consensus in South China Sea disputes, as his appointment comes at a time of heightened tensions. http://cogitasia.com/the-leaderboard-le-luong-minh/ and http://www.voanews.com/content/analysts-asean-leader-to-push-consensus-on-south-china-sea-disputes/1575670.html
The comprehensive 2012 index of each PacNet newsletter is listed below, with hyperlinks. https://csis.org/files/publication/Pac1289.pdf
List of interesting articles:https://csis.org/files/publication/Pac1289A.pdf
The Expanded Economic Engagement (E3) Initiative was one of the most ambitious ideas to come out of the U.S.-ASEAN Leaders’ Meeting in Phnom Penh in November. https://csis.org/publication/e3-initiative-united-states-and-asean-take-step-right-direction
The US and ASEAN Take A Step in the Right Decision https://csis.org/files/publication/121220_SoutheastAsia_Vol_3_Issue_24.pdf
Japan, Central Asia, and the US Rebalance to Asia Pacific: The least understood part of the Obama administration's policy to strengthen its role in the Asia-Pacific via "rebalancing" is that it is not built for its allies in the region, but that it is built by these partners. The US is committed to working with security allies and economic partners to ensure that the region follows a trajectory that benefits not only the US but also strengthens like-minded countries such as Japan, South Korea, Australia, and Thailand. https://csis.org/files/publication/Pac1286.pdf
Mutilateralism is the Key to ASEAN's Success http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2012/12/20/multilateralism-is-key-to-aseans-success/
Seizing opportunities to improve US-China relations http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2012/12/17/seizing-the-opportunity-to-improve-us-china-relations/

US's "Pivot to Asia" and Political Crisis in Thailand http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2012/12/18/the-us-pivot-to-asia-and-the-political-crisis-in-thailand/

An increasingly cash-strapped America is promising significant cuts to its military. Coupled with a rising China, would the U.S. have to give up on its allies? http://the-diplomat.com/2012/03/28/do-u-s-cuts-threaten-its-allies/

Good question: why U.S. must often cooperate with Russia? http://www.carnegieendowment.org/2012/03/28/why-u.s.-must-often-cooperate-with-russia/a5ea

Why has Asia, Particular Asia Pacific, remained so important to U.S. interests? Since 2009, the changes in Obama's Administration have marked a milestone in building an enduring and sustainable strategy in the region. http://csis.org/publication/us-strategic-alignment-squaring-trade-and-grand-strategy-asia

Despite the different political system, there have been some common spaces for US and China for cooperation and development. In short, a key challenge in the 21st century geopolitics is to find the way for these two countries to cooperate and avoid conflicts. http://csis.org/publication/us-china-parallel-development-assistance-goals

On January 19, 2011, U.S. President Barack Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao issued a joint statement at the end of Hu's visit to Washington. It proclaimed their shared commitment to a "positive, cooperative, and comprehensive U.S.-China relationship." Each party reassured the other regarding his principal concern, announcing, "The United States reiterated that it welcomes a strong, prosperous, and successful China that plays a greater role in world affairs. China welcomes the United States as an Asia-Pacific nation that contributes to peace, stability and prosperity in the region."

U.S. and Russia http://www.khmer.rfi.fr/rumour-over-obama-and-medvedev-talk

The most profound change that the United States and China have experienced in their relations over the past 30 years is perhaps the onset of an apparent power transition between the two nations. This potentially titanic change was set in motion as a result of China’s genuine and phenomenal economic development, and the impact of this economic success on the United States and the U.S.-led international system has been growing steadily. This perceived power transition process will continue to be a defining factor in U.S.-China relations for the next 30 years. As China’s economic, political, cultural, and military influence continue to grow globally, what kind of a global power will China become? What kind of a relationship will evolve between China and the United States? How will the United States maintain its leadership in world affairs and develop a working relationship with China so that China can join hands with the United States to shape the world in constructive ways? In this book, Dr. David Lai offers an engaging discussion of these questions and others. His analysis addresses issues that trouble U.S. as well as Chinese leaders. Dr. Lai has taken painstaking care to put the conflicting positions in perspective, most notably presenting the origins of the conflicts, highlighting the conflicting parties’ key opposing positions (by citing their primary or original sources), and pointing out the stalemates. http://www.strategicstudiesinstitute.army.mil/pubs/download.cfm?q=1093

Joint military exercise between the Philippines and U.S. to strengthen its "hub-and-spoke" security system in Asia http://www.khmer.rfi.fr/US-philippine-drills-near-disputed-island-in-south-china-sea

Another joint military exercise between Russia and China What does it really mean to the regional security? http://www.khmer.rfi.fr/china-and-russia-starte-naval-drills-today

The accidental U.S. cruise missile attack against the PRC embassy in Belgrade, Yugoslavia will have long-term negative consequences for Sino-U.S. relations, especially if both sides continue to mishandle the tragic affair. Ten days of talking with Chinese scholars, students, officials, and ordinary citizens in Shanghai, Nanjing, and Beijing have convinced me that their shared sense of frustration, confusion, suspicion, and anger toward the U.S. is genuine. The Chinese government seems more intent on exploiting these feelings than on addressing them, however, and the U.S. seems more focused on Chinese reaction to the incident than on providing a full accounting of the tragedy. http://csis.org/publication/pacnet-20-may-21-1999-can-sino-us-relations-be-salvaged

What made China tense? http://csis.org/publication/president-obama-meet-dalai-lama

http://csis.org/publication/bo-xilais-fall-grace

Summary of the news: the great tension in SCS resulted in the military exercise between the Philippines and U.S.. In return, China conducted anther exercise with Russia. The U.S. treaty ally, Australia has a better military alliance with Indonesia. It would signal the positive sign for U.S.. etc. http://the-diplomat.com/2012/04/29/the-week-in-asia-5/

Pacific pivot: America's strategic bullet http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2012/05/01/pacific-pivot-america-s-strategic-ballet/

US-China Relations and the Chen dilemma http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2012/05/02/us-china-relations-and-the-chen-dilemma/

The topic is what Finland can teach China, but I think there are some lessons that Finland should learn China as well. http://the-diplomat.com/2012/05/01/what-finland-can-teach-china/

Chinese Economic Reform: How US Should Prepare http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2012/05/03/chinese-economic-reform-how-the-us-should-prepare/

Pivot Out, Rebalance In http://the-diplomat.com/2012/05/03/pivot-out-rebalance-in/

"Back to Asia" or "Asia pivot" is now no longer used. What does re-balancing mean in U.S. FP? The term now being used is “re-balancing,” which encompasses two separate processes – the U.S. military is rebalancing its global assets from other regions to Asia, as well as rebalancing within the Asia-Pacific region, reducing the concentration of forces from northeast Asia to a more widely distributed focus throughout the entire region. The policy of hub and spoke security system, further deployed diplomacy, open sky agreements, and general the omni-enmeshment-oriented strategy remained so important to U.S. FP in this 21st century.

Russia warned to use its "destructive force pre-emptively" if the US goes ahead with controversial plans for a missile defence system based in Central Europe. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-17937795

The FY2013 Defense Budget and the New Strategy-Reality Gap http://csis.org/publication/fy2013-defense-budget-and-new-strategy-reality-gap-0

Due to the rise of China, both US and Japan have come to the same conclusion: that they need to make their utmost efforts to engage and hedge China in seeking better relations while preparing for the worst. American FP under the Obama's administration approaches the omni-enmeshment-oriented strategy.... http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2012/05/04/us-asian-pivot-calls-for-japanese-strategic-response/

Hillary Clinton told CNN that, "If people [north-south trade, linking India and Pakistan via Afghanistan to the former Soviet republics of Central Asia] are trading with each other, if they are investing in each other's countries, if they are engaged in commerce of all kinds, there develop relationships and, frankly, stakes in peace and security that are desperately needed." http://business.blogs.cnn.com/2012/05/03/clinton-trade-key-to-fighting-extremism/?hpt=ias_t5

The HR activist, Mr. Chen, in China is in the middle between US and China. Tough for US and China relations? This is what is called US mission impossible diplomacy. http://edition.cnn.com/2012/05/03/world/asia/china-chen-florcruz/index.html?hpt=wo_c2

The security dilemma: Military modernization between US and the rising China http://the-diplomat.com/2012/05/06/why-the-u-s-wants-a-new-bomber/

Interesting article: U.S.'s growing interest in promoting good governance practices in Oceania mainly through economic development http://csis.org/publication/strengthening-governance-and-development-pacific

After U.S. and Philippine troops conducted joint exercises and while Chinese and Philippine maritime security vessels were engaged in a standoff just 120 nautical miles from the Philippine coastline underlines some of the new realities for U.S. engagement in Asia, on April 30 2012 US-Philippines Ministerial Dialogue was held in Washington, D.C. What are results and implications to regional security? http://csis.org/publication/implications-and-results-united-states-philippines-ministerial-dialogue

China vs US is a 'same old same old' issue. http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2012/05/07/asias-geo-political-future/

China's Choices and Ours http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2012/05/07/chinas-choices-and-ours/

Options in US's FP towards Myanmar http://www.cfr.org/burmamyanmar/us-policy-options-toward-myanmar/p28170

U.S./the West vs. China buying Iran's oil with its currency yuan http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-17988142

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2012/05/04/Friends_Like_These

US-Philippines Alliance Deepens Amid China Tension http://globalnation.inquirer.net/36691/us-philippine-alliance-deepens-amid-china-tensions

U.S. and Australia http://www.isis.org.my/attachments/1099_Shahriman_NST_19Apr2012.pdf

Why the Philippines Stands up to China? http://the-diplomat.com/2012/05/14/why-philippines-stands-up-to-china/

Why Asia wants America? http://the-diplomat.com/2012/05/22/why-asia-wants-america/

Air Power Key to US Asia Goals http://the-diplomat.com/2012/05/19/air-power-key-to-u-s-asia-goals/

Power transition, caused mainly by the rise of China, is going on in East Asia. China has become the no. 1 trading partner of almost every country in the region. Even China's military power is increasing and advancing to the level that matches that of the United States. Asymmetrical interdependency between China and other regional states across various dimensions will continue to grow. http://csis.org/files/publication/Pac1230.pdf

North Korea Threatens UN to Use Self-Defense http://www.khmer.rfi.fr/Pyongyang-menace-USA-de-mener-des-actions-autodefence-22-05-12

Taiwan said, "China plans to build two more aircraft carriers." http://www.khmer.rfi.fr/taiwan-said-china-build-two-more-aircraft-carriers

US, China's Clashing Korea Dream http://the-diplomat.com/2012/05/24/u-s-china%E2%80%99s-clashing-korea-dreams/

Transforming South Korea's Defense Capacity http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2012/05/28/transforming-south-korea-s-defence-capabilities/

The China-Japan's Relations and Core Australia's Economic Interest http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2012/05/27/the-china-japan-relationship-and-core-australian-economic-interests/

The changes of global and regional security orders shortly after the Cold War have sharped American FP periodically. The re-balancing newly introduced in American FP under Obama administration has encountered some challenges, and also there are five principles to create new regional security order in Asia Pacific. http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2012/06/07/five-principles-for-a-new-security-order-in-the-asia-pacific/

Admit it, China is a Competitor http://the-diplomat.com/2012/06/07/admit-it-china-is-a-competitor/

The problem is that the Chinese position is presented as illogical and the paramount Chinese interest is dismissed in the three words that "stability comes first." This makes the Chinese dilemma in dealing with North Korea incomprehensible to the reader. http://csis.org/files/publication/Pac1232RA.pdf

There might be no any what I coined as engagement idealism. http://csis.org/publication/institutionalizing-us-engagement-pacific

Will the political transition in China cause any possible change to regional and global economy, politics, and security? http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2012/07/02/chinese-political-transition/

"more assertive, pragmatic, liberal, humble, etc." are adjectives to describe Xi Jinping's characteristics. I think it should be more positive. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/feb/13/xi-jinping-profile-china

China-Russia Anti-NATO http://thediplomat.com/2012/07/04/is-the-shanghai-cooperation-org-stuck-in-neutral/

New equilibrium of US-NZ security relationship http://www.eastwestcenter.org/sites/default/files/private/apb172_1.pdf

Besides its involvement in IOR-ARC, U.S. re-balancing strategy with India becomes interestingly remarkable in terms of trade, politics, and security. http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2012/07/19/rebalancing-asia-panetta-visits-india/

There are good reasons why Russia has found itself sandwiched between China and U.S./the West. But, what should Russia position between the U.S. and the rising China? Should it counterbalance U.S. influence and hedge China's rising power? http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2012/07/24/russia-between-the-us-and-china-2/

Obama's policy areas of continuity and discontinuity http://www.e-ir.info/2012/08/03/is-obamas-foreign-policy-different-to-bushs/

US's Strategy: Between the Pivot and Air Sea Battle http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2012/08/26/us-strategy-between-the-pivot-and-air-sea-battle/

According to U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency, "Indonesia has submitted a $1.42 billion foreign military sales proposal to the U.S. government, asking to purchase 8 Apache helicopters [for border security, counter-terrorism and counter-piracy operations, and protection of free flow of shipping through the Strait of Malacca], equipment and related support services."

US and South Korea Announce New Missile Deal http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia-pacific/2012/10/20121076301997225.html

After his presidential victory, President Barack Obama announced he would visit three countries in mainland Southeast Asia - Cambodia, Myanmar, and Thailand - from November 17 to 20. What are his purposes in the region in his second term? http://csis.org/publication/obama-trip-shows-purposeful-asia-focus-second-term