Russia and the Asia-Pacific Region

As the inaugural Russia-China Expo ended in Harbin last week, which was attended by more than 1,500 exhibitors, the event has created another momentum for Russia-China relations since the Russian-Chinese “gas deal of the century” was signed…

If the next world war is to happen, it will most likely be in Asia and feature a clash between the incumbent hegemon, the United States, and the principal challenger, China. The good news is China does not want war now and in the foreseeable future…

Whereas the first two world wars broke out and were fought mainly in Europe, the third world war, if it is not avoided, will most probably erupt in the Asia-Pacific region. Quite a few scholars and political leaders have found striking similarities…

In the Ukraine crisis, there is one player who is going to win regardless of the outcome of the standoff. Yet this player has apparently nothing to do with the whole story. That is China.   The leadership in Beijing must be secretly delighted…

An Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) is airspace which extends beyond national borders. It has no basis in international law, but is not illegal as long as it does not violate existing rules of international law. Its purpose is usually to identify…

On October 10th , Brunei hosted East  Asia Summit. This was the 8th annual meeting of EAS – the forum which was  launched in 2005 and has now gained the status of the Asia-Pacific’s most important multilateral venue to discuss…

On September 26-28, 2013, I took part in Bucharest Forum. The event was organized by Aspen Institute Romania and German Marshall Fund of the United States, with the support of Romanian Government.[1] The Forum brought together prominent political…

Introduction   Although there is much speculation on the nature of the Sino-Russian strategic partnership, most Western scholars view the Sino-Russian strategic partnership as limited, fragile, easily fractured, and not a formal alliance. There…

It was on 30 August 2011, the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Korea (South Korea) issued a landmark decision on a case of former comfort women claiming compensation from the Japanese government. In view of obtaining compensations for former…

The Japanese public has lost their trust in nuclear power as a safe source of energy. The public is also concerned about the possibility of another earthquake/tsunami or other unexpected but possible causes of a similar malfunctioning in the nuclear…

The cancellation of Obama’s visit to Moscow made compellingly clear what previously many have suspected: the current presidents of the United States and Russia are in a state of conflict. Perhaps the problem is the two men’s individual…

The ongoing shift of the global geopolitics’ center of gravity toward the Asia-Pacific raises the question about the role in this region of the world’s most powerful political-military alliance  – NATO. To be more specific, this…