In The News

Time for China and Japan to Cool It

James J. Przystup, Phillip C. Saunders February 27, 2013
A clash between China and Japan over the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands would be devastating for the global economy. The islands, historically under contention by China, Japan and Taiwan, have been subject of series of dangerous, escalating exchanges – including activists attempting landings and warships targeting opponent’s helicopters and ships with fire-control radars. “The immediate policy challenge...

CIA Shifts Hollywood Gaze to Its Best Side

Richard McGregor February 26, 2013
Portrayed as heroes, not villains, the CIA and the US military have emerged as Hollywood winners, suggests Richard McGregor in the Financial Times: “The shift in the CIA’s popular portrayal is more remarkable for the fact that it coincides with the agency’s drone programme, a campaign of offshore assassinations on a scale that used to provoke public and congressional scandals.” Argo, a movie...

India: Still at the Center of the Indian Ocean

Nilanthi Samaranayake February 22, 2013
Despite speculation to the contrary, India is far from losing strategic influence in the Indian Ocean region. Its security cooperation and relations with states like Sri Lanka, Maldives and Seychelles remain strong, maintains Nilanthi Samaranayake, an analyst in the Strategic Studies division at CNA, a research institute in Alexandria, Virginia. The recent cancellation of an Indian airport...

More Than 50 Countries Allegedly Involved in CIA Rendition and Torture

Nicolas Rochon February 20, 2013
A report from the Open Society Foundations has released a report that more than 50 nations, including the US, extra-judicially transferred suspected terrorists overseas for secret integration and torture. “Composed of information provided by various human rights organizations, the 214-page OSF report currently stands as the most comprehensive record of 136 individuals exposed to various methods...

Shadow of 1914 Falls Over the Pacific

Gideon Rachman February 19, 2013
Nationalism and tensions in the Asia Pacific over small islands echo the mood prior to World War I, argues Gideon Rachman in Financial Times. He compares China to Germany in 1914, a rising power worried about competitors blocking its ascent. A US delegation has advised Beijing and Tokyo that a Chinese attack on the islands would trigger US security guarantees to Japan. “The obvious danger is that...

N Korea Sets Stark Policy Test for China

Leslie Hook February 13, 2013
International observers had hoped that the Kim Jong Un, North Korea’s leader since 2011, would be less belligerent and more open to cooperation with neighboring countries. Instead, the country has launched a nuclear test, in violation of international law, once again challenging China, its key ally: “[T]he relationship has started to fray after a series of diplomatic snubs by Pyongyang since [Un...

Parts for F-35 Would Evade Export Ban

Kyodo February 12, 2013
Japan is a global technology leader, yet has banned export of parts that might contribute to aggravation of international conflicts. Exceptions to bans in place since 1967 and 1976 have been made for the United States, an ally, and to allow Japan to participate in joint-weapons development for humanitarian purposes and promotion of international peace, reports Kyodo, the nonprofit cooperative...