Image Source: Breaking Defense The United States has long maintained that it can defend the homeland against limited North Korean intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) strikes. The 2022 Missile Defense Review (MDR) reaffirmed that the United States “will continue to stay ahead of North Korean missile threats to the homeland” through homeland missile defense, missile defeat, … Continue reading The Case for U.S. Homeland Ballistic Missile Defense Against North Korea
Category: Indo-Pacific
A New Turn for BRI in South Asia?
Image Source: Wikimedia Fall 2023 marked the tenth anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative, first announced by Chinese President Xi Jinping in Kazakhstan in 2013. The BRI consists of a series of infrastructure projects, including ports, power plants, and rails, that support maritime and overland routes across Eurasia. It serves as an extension of … Continue reading A New Turn for BRI in South Asia?
AUKUS: Impossible to Break – Strengthening Deterrence in the Indo-Pacific
Image Source: Australian Insitute of International Affairs Announced in September 2021, AUKUS is a trilateral security partnership between the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom. The ‘big ticket’ is Australia’s acquisition of at least eight nuclear-powered, conventionally-armed submarines (SSNs). However, AUKUS is more than improved capabilities. Specifically, AUKUS broadens joint military exercises and rotations, … Continue reading AUKUS: Impossible to Break – Strengthening Deterrence in the Indo-Pacific
Can a Tiny Country Make a Difference in the Indo-Pacific?
Image Source: Unsplash Small, strategically located countries like Timor-Leste, also known as East Timor, can play an outsized role in shaping international affairs and alliances. A country strategically located between Indonesia and Australia, which gained independence from the former in 2002, can be a valuable partner in maintaining Indo-Pacific security. As the People’s Republic of … Continue reading Can a Tiny Country Make a Difference in the Indo-Pacific?
U.S. Economic Restrictions on China: Small Yard, High Fence?
Image Source: Reuters The Biden administration claims the People’s Republic of China (PRC) is leveraging its technological capabilities to promote its authoritarian governance model, modernize its military, and privilege its interests and values in the international system. As part of its efforts to address this challenge, the administration has singled out certain technologies as having … Continue reading U.S. Economic Restrictions on China: Small Yard, High Fence?
The United States’ Semiconductor Export Controls at One Year: Is the PRC Racing Forward?
Image Generated Using DALL-E 3 On October 7, 2022, the United States Department of Commerce announced a series of export controls that signaled a marked shift in U.S. policy and a new era of global technology competition. These restrictions aim to curb two crucial exports to the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The first target … Continue reading The United States’ Semiconductor Export Controls at One Year: Is the PRC Racing Forward?
China, Too, Is Gearing Up for Tech Competition
Xi Jinping takes his oath of office to begin his third term as president of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Source: Reuters It is no secret that the United States views the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as a near-peer competitor. As the Biden administration describes, China has both the intent and the capability … Continue reading China, Too, Is Gearing Up for Tech Competition
Analyzing the Entrenchment of Beijing’s Digital Influence in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates
Image Source: Middle East Eye The last several years have seen a steep accumulation of linkages between China and the Arab Gulf monarchies. As China’s energy demands have exploded and oil demand from the West has fallen, the oil-exporting Gulf countries have turned eastwards. China is now Saudi Arabia’s largest trading partner and Riyadh has … Continue reading Analyzing the Entrenchment of Beijing’s Digital Influence in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates
From ChatGPT to Chat CCP: The Future of Generative AI Models in China
Only three months into its release, ChatGPT has already created a frenzy among people around the world. Source: Reuters Chinese regulators recently warned tech companies not to release ChatGPT-like products, for fear that chatbots would spread “disinformation” by the U.S. government. With all the hype surrounding OpenAI’s natural language model setting off an “AI Arms … Continue reading From ChatGPT to Chat CCP: The Future of Generative AI Models in China
The Case for a Nuclear South Korea
President Yoon Suk Yeol pays respect to the late president Park Chung-hee, who attempted to build a nuclear weapon during the 1970s but was thwarted by American intervention. Office of the President of the Republic of Korea For the first time, a South Korean president officially mentioned the possibility of his country going nuclear. Although … Continue reading The Case for a Nuclear South Korea