Keyword: united states

Obama's Military Commitment in East Asia Fraught With Risk

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta (C) listens as U.S. President Barack Obama (R) delivers remarks on the Defense Strategic Review at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. Also pictured is Deputy Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter (L). President Obama vowed Thursday that the U.S. military would maintain its

Policy

The U.S. now needs to manage its Asian alliances carefully, so as not to provoke China in particularly volatile areas like the South China Sea, writes Andrew Billo.

January 6th by Andrew Billo | Comments

2012: Coming Year's Leadership Transitions Could Have Major Asia Impact

Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping (R), the presumptive heir to current President Hu Jintao, speaks with former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen in Beijing on July 11, 2011. Xi is just one of several new world leaders who could have a major impact on Asia in 2012 and beyond. Photo by Chad J. McNeeley. (Flickr/Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff)

Policy

It seems only fitting that at the end of 2011, a year of such tremendous political change around the world, we should all be fixated with intense curiosity on the machinations of a leadership transition in North Korea.

There are many reasons for the events that unfolded into the Arab Spring, but at the root is a failure in leadership. While the Arab Spring did not result in similar uprisings in Asia, the events were followed with tremendous interest throughout the region.

December 27th by Michael Kulma | Comments

2011: On the U.S. Campaign Trail, a Deficit of Diplomacy

Former Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain made headlines for the wrong reasons with his

Policy

The U.S. presidential campaign heated up in 2011, as Americans ready themselves to vote in November 2012. While the current fiscal environment demands candidates focus on domestic economic challenges and solutions, in our interdependent world, foreign policy has to take a top spot on the list of presidential priorities. Unfortunately, election season is rife with fire and brimstone foreign policy rhetoric, attempting to engage voters at the detriment of diplomacy.

December 26th by Debra Eisenman | Comments

Hassan Abbas: 'How Obama Can Fix U.S.-Pakistani Relations'

Local Pakistani kids await to be evacuated on a CH-60 Blackhawk in Khyber - Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, on Sept. 13, 2010. Photo By Joshua Kruger. (Flickr/DVIDSHUB)

Policy

As Pakistan struggles with its democratic transition, Asia Society Senior Advisor Hassan Abbas writes in Foreign Affairs that Obama can help Pakistan help itself by taking a less unilateral approach and focusing instead on strengthening Pakistan's civilian government and investing in civil society. Abbas points out:

December 22nd by Rebecca Chao | Comments

2011: A Return to Roots? Lessons From This Year's US Engagement in Asia

U.S. President Barack Obama (2nd R) applauds with Southeast Asian leaders, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (L), Philippines President Benigno Aquino (2nd L) and Brunei Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah (R), during a group photo session for the leaders of the East Asia Summit in Nusa Dua on Indonesia's resort island of Bali on November 19, 2011 following the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit. (Romeo Gacad/AFP/Getty Images)

Policy

This is part of a series of year-end posts on Asia Blog written by Asia Society experts and Associate Fellows looking back on noteworthy events in 2011. You can read the entire series here.

December 21st by John Ciorciari | Comments

Stumpf: Kim Jong Il's Death an Opportunity for US, China

The front pages of Tokyo's major evening newspapers report the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il on December 19, 2011 in Tokyo. (Kazuhiro Nogi/AFP/Getty Images)

Policy

It would be understandable if, observing the post-Kim Jong Il era, the United States, China, South Korea and Japan saw more peril than promise. However, the history of North Korean negotiation indicates a small possibility of progress toward peace on the Korean peninsula and North Korea’s denuclearization.

December 19th by Matt Stumpf | Comments

Taiwan For Sale?

Flags of the United States and Taiwan fly outside Chinatown gate in Washington, D.C. (Flickr/Photo Phiend)

Policy

In today's New York Times, former Harvard academic Paul V. Kane writes that the United States should terminate its defense arrangement with Taiwan in exchange for China forgiving the $1.14 trillion of U.S. debt that it holds. Kane argues that this move would be:

November 11th by Matt Schiavenza | Comments

Diwali Around the World, in Photos and Tweets

Multimedia

The 2011 Festival of Lights, Diwali, captured in photos and tweets from around the world.

October 27th by Nadia Rasul | Comments

Interview: Arvind Subramanian on a Dominant China

U.S. President Barack Obama (R) looks on as his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao answers a question during a press conference in the East Room at the White House in Washington, DC, on January 19, 2011. (Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images)

Policy

Author of Eclipse: Living in the Shadow of China's Economic Dominance suggests the era of Chinese economic leadership may already be upon us.

October 17th by Matt Schiavenza | Comments

Pakistan-India Relations Moving from 'Bombs' to 'Bombshells'?

Pakistan Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar (R) shakes hands with Indian Foreign Minister S. M. Krishna (L) prior to a meeting in New Delhi on July 27, 2011. (Prakash Singh/AFP/Getty Images)

Policy

While the mysteries surrounding interactions between the CIA and Pakistan’s ISI intelligence agency continue to be partly entertaining and partly amazing, the situation in Afghanistan is deteriorating — complicating U.S. withdrawal plans.

August 3rd by Hassan Abbas | Comments