Surface to Air Missile Coverage of the Taiwan Strait, US Department of Defense By John Chen, Columnist Since 2009, the anti-access and area denial (A2/AD) capabilities of China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) have received a great deal of attention from US military planners. As US planners prescribe ways around Chinese A2/AD capabilities, there has been … Continue reading Deterrence in the Taiwan Strait: Is Dispersal Enough?
Category: Indo-Pacific
Indonesia’s Returning Foreign Fighter Threat
Soldiers in the Aceh Insurgency, Wikimedia Commons By Sarah Khederian, Columnist Reports of Western Europeans joining ISIS to fight in the Middle East have inundated Western media, but Southeast Asian nations have been dealing with significant homegrown terrorist threats of their own, in addition to the relatively nascent ISIS recruitment phenomenon. There has been well-informed … Continue reading Indonesia’s Returning Foreign Fighter Threat
Spoiler Alert! The (Over)Reaction of the North Korean Regime to The Interview
Image by Columbia Pictures/The Interview, Official Trailer By Julia Cunico | Earlier this week, Columbia Pictures released the trailer for its upcoming comedy The Interview starring Seth Rogen and James Franco. In the film, Rogen and Franco, who are known for dark and silly comedies such as Pineapple Express (Columbia, September 2008) and This is … Continue reading Spoiler Alert! The (Over)Reaction of the North Korean Regime to The Interview
Military Disengagement from Politics: The Case of Pakistan’s Revolving Barracks Door
Photo by Al Jazeera English/Wikimedia Commons By Anthony Bell | It is not surprising that the recent spate of political clashes between the Pakistani civilian government and the military has generated widespread speculation among policymakers that a military coup could transpire in Islamabad. Pakistan has experienced four military coups and thirty years of military rule … Continue reading Military Disengagement from Politics: The Case of Pakistan’s Revolving Barracks Door
Energy Security and North Korea: A Failed Pursuit for Self-Reliance
Photo by Roman Harak/Flickr By Martin J. Cool | With the announcement in late 2013 of the execution of Jang Song-thaek, the uncle of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) was once again thrust into the international spotlight.[1] Jang, believed to have been the second most powerful individual in … Continue reading Energy Security and North Korea: A Failed Pursuit for Self-Reliance
Why Turkey May Not Buy Chinese Missile Systems After All
Photo by Wikimedia Commons By Denise Der | (The article originally appeared at The Diplomat) Another deadline came and went at the end of April without a decision in Turkey’s drawn out effort to purchase a surface-to-air missile (SAM) with anti-missile capabilities. The Turkish Ministry of Defense announced its intention to purchase the Chinese HQ-9 system … Continue reading Why Turkey May Not Buy Chinese Missile Systems After All
Combating Human Trafficking: A Thai-U.S. Analysis
A trafficking victim shelter for children in Pattaya, Thailand. Photo by Carly Gerbig | By Carly Gerbig | Thailand and the United States differ in their systems of government and their culture, demography, and geography. Thailand also has very different policies for combating human trafficking. Despite these differences, the Thai experience with trafficking in persons (TIP) is … Continue reading Combating Human Trafficking: A Thai-U.S. Analysis
Winning Minds: The Role of Education in Securing Afghanistan
Photo by The National Guard/Flickr | By Elizabeth Royall | In the years following the attacks of September 11, 2001, the U.S. military incorporated humanitarian aid and development work into its military strategy to defeat the Taliban. “Counterinsurgency is armed social work; an attempt to redress basic social and political problems while being shot at,” … Continue reading Winning Minds: The Role of Education in Securing Afghanistan
The Elephant in the Room? North Korea and the Myth of ROK/U.S. “OPCON Transfer”
Army Gen Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Army Gen. James Thurman, at the demilitarized zone inSouth Korea on Nov. 11, 2012. DOD photo by D. Myles Cullen This article was featured in GSSR Vol. 1 Issue 2. By David S. MaxwellIn light of the actions of the Kim Family … Continue reading The Elephant in the Room? North Korea and the Myth of ROK/U.S. “OPCON Transfer”