The great game between North Korea and the United States is heating up. North Korea test-fired a brace of ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan on Thursday morning (Maarch 25), ratcheting up tensions as diplomatic activities surrounding the Korean Peninsula gather pace. Read Here | Asia Times
Whither the “Quad”? Is the Quad, or Quadrilateral Security Dialogue—a loose grouping of likeminded Indo-Pacific nations—a military coalition in the making? Maybe—but how tight that fellowship becomes is largely up to Communist China, the provocateur that brought disparate partners together in the first place. Read Here | The National Interest
The Sydney Opera resumed live performances and the city of Melbourne recently hosted the Australian Open tennis tournament with fans (mostly) in attendance. Japan is back to planning the delayed 2020 Summer Olympics, while China focuses on the Beijing 2022 Winter Games. Having been hit by COVID-19 first, Asia is also recovering first. At the pandemic’s […]
The major Indo-Pacific powers of Australia, India, Japan and the United States concluded on Friday the first-ever summit of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, better known as “Quad.” The 90-minute event, conducted virtually due to Covid-19 restrictions, paves the way for a de facto “Asian NATO” amid growing concern over China’s increasingly assertive behaviour in recent […]
Only a decade ago, the phrase Indo-Pacific would have left most foreign policy experts scratching their heads. Today, it is not just stock language in Washington but a widely accepted reconceptualisation of Asia that is rearranging U.S. foreign policy. Read Here | Foreign Affairs
New Delhi and Islamabad’s sudden agreement to halt skirmishes along the Line of Control comes soon after India-China deal to end Ladakh stand-off. Ceasefire also coincides with establishment of China-India hotline and analysts believe US administration of Joe Biden may have been in the loop. Read Here | South China Morning Post
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga intends to continue Japan’s sweeping upgrades of its defense capabilities amid a major buildup of China’s military forces, increasing pressure from North Korea’s growing missile arsenal, and continued activities by Russia’s military in East Asia. Read Here | cfr.org
Given that the banks of the Pangong Lake mark only two of several areas of friction in the current standoff … both China and India’s state-sanctioned media offensives could very well scuttle future progress on comprehensively ending the standoff, either by letting public opinion get in its way or by inadvertently signalling to the other […]
When the National League for Democracy closed its first term in government last year, peacebuilding in Myanmar was already at a crossroads. Now, following the military coup, observers are asking what approach the generals might take to secure the “eternal peace” prescribed in the declaration justifying the emergency state. Read Here | The Diplomat
In contrast to its populist predecessor’s faux pas, the new Democratic administration will primarily rely on veteran policy-makers and tried-and-tested experts to project American leadership in strategic regions such as Asia. The familiar background of his top appointees will likely facilitate their quick bipartisan approval in the Democratic-majority Congress. Read Here | Asia Times
looking beyond borders 