By: Annie Kowalewski, Columnist Photo credit: AFP Introduction While China has long touted its commitment to “noninterference” and largely stayed out of the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East, recent developments such as the Belt and Road Initiative and China’s diplomatic support of one side in ongoing conflicts suggest that China may be rethinking this … Continue reading China’s Increasing Engagement in Syrian Conflict
Author: Annie Kowalewski
No One “Won” the Summit
By: Annie Kowalewski, Columnist Photo by: Getty Images After the Trump-Kim summit in Singapore on June 12, pundits were quick to jump in to assess who “won” the summit. Stepping away from the sensationalism surrounding the “competition” between the two leaders, the summit did not significantly alter the situation on the peninsula. US-DPRK relations remain … Continue reading No One “Won” the Summit
DPRK Cyber Capabilities
By: Annie Kowalewski, Columnist Photo by: ABC News Introduction Much has been written on threats of the North Korean nuclear and missile developments, but the DPRK threatens the United States and regional allies in another domain as well: cyber. It is easy to dismiss North Korea’s cyber capabilities as underdeveloped due to the isolated and … Continue reading DPRK Cyber Capabilities
Burying Our Heads in the Sand: Female Participation in Political Violence (The Kim Yo-jong Story)
By: Annie Kowalewski, Columnist Photo by: Associated Press After Kim Yo-jong’s appearance at the Pyeongchang Olympic Games Opening Ceremony, the media heralded her “charm” and applauded her for “stealing the show”. [i] Kim Yo-jong’s coverage was so positive that even Buzzfeed News stepped in to remind the populace that she is part of one of … Continue reading Burying Our Heads in the Sand: Female Participation in Political Violence (The Kim Yo-jong Story)
Tackling Homegrown Terrorism in China
By: Annie Kowalewski, Columnist Photo Credit: AFP, via BBC Introduction In 2002, China first recognized its domestic terrorist threat from ethnic Uighur extremists in the northwest Xinjiang province. Since then, “terrorism” has been considered one of the “three evils”: terrorism, extremism, and separatism. Although it is difficult to quantify exactly how many Uighur terrorist attacks … Continue reading Tackling Homegrown Terrorism in China
China’s Evolving Cybersecurity Strategy
By: Annie Kowalewski, Columnist Photo Credit: Cyberwar News After the Communist Party of China’s 19th Party Congress concludes this week, only 17% of the original military leadership is expected to remain in power—the most extensive military reshuffle since Mao Zedong.[i] Much of this reshuffle and recent Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) modernization focuses on transitioning … Continue reading China’s Evolving Cybersecurity Strategy
Chinese Approaches to Contingency Planning in a Collapsed North Korea
By: Annie Kowalewski Photo Credit: South China Morning Post Multilateral contingency planning regarding the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) remains largely underdeveloped, but any effort to stabilize the region after a complete collapse of the DPRK will require cooperation between the United States, China, and the Republic of Korea (ROK). This article will consider … Continue reading Chinese Approaches to Contingency Planning in a Collapsed North Korea
Paper Tigers and Eagles: Why the United States Should Not Underestimate the PLA
By: Annie Kowalewski, Columnist Photo Credit: The National Interest In the past several decades, China has made huge strides in modernizing its military technology, training, and organization. Yet, US military officials continue to dismiss the real threat the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) poses because the PLA lacks real combat experience.[i] It is true that … Continue reading Paper Tigers and Eagles: Why the United States Should Not Underestimate the PLA
Disinformation and Reflexive Control: The New Cold War
By: Annie Kowalewski, Columnist Photo Credit: NPR Nearly four months after the election, US policymakers and political researchers remain puzzled by Russia’s potential involvement and the impact of “fake news” and other forms of disinformation that plagued the campaigns. With confusion swirling around “alternative facts,” the effects of disinformation and Russian meddling are just beginning … Continue reading Disinformation and Reflexive Control: The New Cold War
Time to Police INTERPOL
Photo Credit: The Independent By: Annie Kowalewski, Columnist At the 85th session of the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) General Assembly in November 2016, Chinese Vice Minister of Public Security Meng Hongwei was elected President.[i] His appointment raises concern about whether he will abuse INTERPOL’s resources to crack down on Chinese political dissidents abroad, particularly … Continue reading Time to Police INTERPOL