In The News

Publish and Perish in Hong Kong

Frank Ching January 28, 2016
The odd disappearance of five staff members of a Hong Kong book publisher raises questions about China’s commitment to the “one country, two systems” arrangement with Hong Kong. One man was taken from Thailand, another from Hong Kong and three detained in China. Two are foreign nationals, and no charges have been filed. “By openly flouting its commitment to respect Hong Kong’s political system...

For Gulf States, Forging National Identity Trumps Regional Integration

Ellen Laipson November 11, 2015
For the six member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council – Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Oman – national identity may matter more than collection action as region. The countries resist power for Iran and extremism, but differ on Islam as a political force, dependence on and rights for foreign workers, and regional security priorities. “It’s on the security...

US Sail-By Rattles Beijing's Sovereignty Claims

Minnie Chan and Agencies October 28, 2015
The South China Sea includes some of the world’s busiest shipping lanes, and areas of the sea are under dispute. China, one of several claimants, has built up reefs once submerged under high tide, adding airstrips, ports and other infrastructure. A US Navy warship challenged China’s claims by sailing within 12 nautical miles of the disputed Mischief and Subi reefs in the Spratly archipelago....

Narrow Court Ruling May Offer Room for Diplomacy on South China Sea Claims

Ashley Townshend October 13, 2015
The announcement is expected any day from the Arbitral Tribunal at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague on whether it has jurisdiction to rule on the Philippines’ case against China’s expansive maritime claims in the South China Sea. In the ensuing hearing, a narrow ruling against China’s “nine-dashed line” is the most likely outcome, suggests Ashley Townshend, a research fellow in the...

Is ASEAN Losing Its Way?

Amitav Acharya September 24, 2015
The charter for the Association of Southeast Asia Nations emphasizes economic growth and principles that support cooperation, renunciation of the use of force, mutual respect for members, and rejection of external interference or coercion. ASEAN’s track record for peaceful resolution of disputes through consensus may be at risk as unity erodes, warns author and researcher Amitav Acharya. Members...

China Tightens Its Two-Systems Approach for Hong Kong

Michael C. Davis August 4, 2015
A one-country, two-systems model describes China’s relationship with Hong Kong. Observers naturally can’t help but weigh the pros and cons of each system, regarding one better than the other. China is tightening controls on the mainland for human-rights advocates, educators and internet users while also denying the “high degree of autonomy” once promised to the citizens of Hong Kong as a special...

“Putin’s World” Gains Traction as Alternative to West

Richard Gowan July 21, 2015
Vladimir Putin has broad support at home for promoting an image of a tough and revitalized Russia, one envied by nationalists in other countries. “Moscow has not been able to offer a positive vision of a new international system that can compete with, let alone surpass, what the West offers,” writes Richard Gowan for World Politics Review. The leader of the world’s ninth largest country by...