
Security,Hotspots,Southeast Asia
New Dynamics in ASEAN’s Stance on South China Sea
The success of Duterte’s visits to Beijing and Tokyo has initiated new dynamics in ASEAN’s position on the South China Sea issue. The Philippines will assume the rotating chairmanship of ASEAN next year and its success in lowering tensions on the South China Sea issue will likely become the ASEAN stand.

Security
Trump and Borders

Security,Hotspots,China
Why the US-China Contest for the South China Sea Is So Dangerous

Security,Cyberspace,China
In recent years, “engaging in cyber warfare” has become part of the parlance used by those who discuss US-China relations. Its use has become even more frequent in the last two or three years. How true are these charges? What is the evidence?

Security,Hotspots,China
Elements of a South China Sea Deal: Saving Face and Making Money
Some US academics suggest that a US-China grand bargain to establish a balance of power is a precondition for peace in the South China Sea region. Or, will a legal deal establishing a joint development regime and disengagement from illegal maritime assertions solve most of the current problems?

Economy,Security
The 8th BRICS Summit at Goa, India
The Goa Declaration that was issued at the conclusion of the 8th BRICS summit “strongly condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations” — including the “recent attacks against some BRICS countries” — and also pledged that the BRICS nations would work with the G20 to promote “robust and sustainable trade and investment to propel global growth.”

Security,South Asia
Indian Claims of Surgical Strikes: Separating Fact from Fiction
On September 29, 2016, it was announced that India had carried out “surgical strikes” across the Line of Control and destroyed so-called “terror launch pads” where terrorists had allegedly assembled to infiltrate Indian-administered Kashmir. Pakistan responded by rejecting them as an over-exaggeration and fabrication of the truth.

Security,Hotspots,China
The South China Sea: After the Big Bang
It has now been nearly three months since the arbitral panel ruling against China’s claims to maritime space in the South China Sea. The decision has set in motion political and military adjustments. But none of them contribute to the resolution of the conflicting claims or to the contest between the US and China.

Security,East Asia
Submarine Acquisitions in East Asia: A Reflection of Geopolitics
Submarine acquisitions in East Asia reflect ongoing geopolitical movements and trends. The ultimate fear is that submarines may become the capital ships in sea-lane denial missions. Submarine acquisitions are as much for bilateral diplomacy as they are military hardware acquisitions.

Economy,Security,South Asia
Dialogue and Water Cooperation in the Brahmaputra River Basin
The key challenge in the Brahmaputra River Basin is the rising suspicion and distrust, and the lack of open communications between the countries. Negotiations that have happened so far are essentially bilateral and confidential with no public participation.

Security,Hotspots,East Asia
North Korea’s Nuclear Calculus
North Korea knows that the world is unfair, as all the five permanent members on the United Nations Security Council have nuclear weapons, while the rest of the world cannot. Or wait a minute, a few others can also have nuclear weapons. So why can’t North Korea have nukes?

Politics,Security,South Asia
Terrorism and Geopolitics in South Asia
2016 has proven to be a busy year thus far for diplomats of the major world powers as they flew into South Asia’s capitals to cut deals and cooperate in combating terrorism as well as extending areas of cooperation with geopolitical implications.