In this episode we explore how Japan’s relations with Southeast Asia have expanded from economic engagement and development assistance to also include security collaboration and maritime capacity building. To discuss the dynamics of Japan-Southeast Asia relations, we turned to Dr.…
By Akiko Fukushima — In the 1980s, the international community criticized Japan for free riding on the international order without paying its dues. But did Japan then undermine institution building in the 70 years after the end of World War…
In this episode we take a broader look at the Asia Pacific’s economic and security architecture. Dr. Evan Medeiros, former senior director for Asia affairs at the National Security Council, now the Managing Director for Asia at the Eurasia Group,…
By Gregory Poling CSIS hosted its fifth annual South China Sea conference on July 21. The event garnered more interest and a considerably larger audience—both in CSIS’s at-capacity conference room and online—than its four predecessors. Interest in the conference reflected…
By Zack Cooper — The U.S. rebalance to Asia has been one of the Obama administration’s top foreign policy priorities. In implementing the rebalance, the administration should be commended for its efforts to negotiate the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and to…
By Noelan Arbis Brunei concluded its 2013 chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on October 10, when Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah handed the chairman’s gavel to president Thein Sein of Myanmar. In this role, Brunei served as host…
By Felix Sharief French foreign minister Laurent Fabius visited Jakarta from July 31 to August 2 in an effort to build a bilateral strategic partnership with Indonesia. Fabius also visited the Secretariat of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN),…
By Brian Harding On August 29, Brunei will host the second ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting Plus (ADMM+), a forum established during Vietnam’s 2010 ASEAN chairmanship that consists of 18 members – the 10 ASEAN nations plus the United States, Japan,…
By Ernie Bower President Barack Obama intends to follow through on his plans to pivot or rebalance the focus of U.S. foreign policy toward the Indo-Pacific region. In June, he instructed his Cabinet members to each plan a trip to…
By Carla Freeman After May’s choppy waters, recent weeks have seen a rare patch of calm in the South China Sea. The respite from immediate crisis offers a chance for dialogue among all countries– perhaps some of this can take place at next…
