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
Category: Indo-Pacific
“Counterterrorism” in Xinjiang
By: Shannon Mizzi, Columnist Photo Credit: Pacific Standard Terrorist attacks are becoming more frequent in China’s Xinjiang province, and the Chinese government is in desperate need of a new counterterrorism strategy. While it is imperative to protect the country from radical Islamic terrorism, the government’s current strategy is one of forced assimilation disguised as counterterrorism … Continue reading “Counterterrorism” in Xinjiang
What CPEC Can Do for Pakistan’s Internal Security
By: Trisha Ray, Columnist Photo Credit: CPEC Official Website The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), part of the “One Belt One Road” (OBOR) project, has been compared by Bloomberg to the Marshall Plan in terms of its potential economic legacy.[i] However, the CPEC’s most enduring legacy will be in the realm of security. Its infrastructural and … Continue reading What CPEC Can Do for Pakistan’s Internal Security
An Open Letter to the US President-elect: Remember One Korea
A child suffering from malnutrition rests in a bed in a hospital in Haeju on Sept. 30, 2011. Editor's note: These images were taken on a government controlled tour. Photo Credit: NBC (Damir Sagolj, Reuters) By: Grace M. Kang, Esq., Guest Contributor Dear President-elect Trump, I urge you, as the next President of the only … Continue reading An Open Letter to the US President-elect: Remember One Korea
The United States Military’s Waning Supremacy
Photo Credit: ABC News By: Patrick Savage, Columnist It’s been over a quarter-of-a-century since the United States has faced an adversary that had a conventional military capacity rivaling our own. Now, a changing geopolitical landscape, coupled with problematic trends in manpower, equipment, and leadership, raise the question of whether the United States is prepared to … Continue reading The United States Military’s Waning Supremacy
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
Kobe Confidential: Japan’s Yakuza War One Year In
Photo Credit: Daily Beast By Jake Howry, Columnist For more than a year, the Japanese underworld has been engaged in the largest gang war the country has seen in more than three decades. On August 27, 2015, as Japan’s largest criminal organization—the Yamaguchi-gumi, which represents approximately 45% of all yakuza in the country—celebrated the 100th … Continue reading Kobe Confidential: Japan’s Yakuza War One Year In
Solidifying Xi’s Power: Key Takeaways from China’s Sixth Plenum
Photo Credit: South China Morning Post By: Michael Daly, Columnist In late October, China’s top leadership gathered in Beijing for the Sixth Plenum of the 18th Central Committee in Beijing. This year’s iteration of the annual meeting of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leadership focused on intra-Party governance. At this meeting, President Xi Jinping further … Continue reading Solidifying Xi’s Power: Key Takeaways from China’s Sixth Plenum
It’s All About the Ships and the Schedule: US Freedom of Navigation Operations in the South China Sea
Photo Credit: BangBreachClear.com By: Annie Kowalewski, Columnist On October 21st, the United States conducted its fourth freedom of navigation operation (FONOP) in the South China Sea (SCS). The USS Decatur conducted the transit within “the vicinity of the Paracel Islands to uphold the rights and freedoms of all States under international law, as reflected in … Continue reading It’s All About the Ships and the Schedule: US Freedom of Navigation Operations in the South China Sea
The Fate of Conscription in South Korea
Photo Credit: Channel News Asia By: Trisha Ray, Columnist Under the shroud of constant crisis emanating from a belligerent North Korea (DPRK), a growing number of South Koreans are beginning to question the need for mandatory universal military service. Support for mandatory conscription is rapidly waning. It is increasingly viewed as neither a necessary or … Continue reading The Fate of Conscription in South Korea