Who is he? Ajit Doval is Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s newly appointed national security advisor. A long-time intelligence operative and highly-decorated police officer, he formerly served as director of the Intelligence Bureau, India’s primary internal intelligence agency. Mr. Doval takes…
Diplomacy
Oil Rig Crisis in the South China Sea Prompts Vietnam to Consider Stronger Ties with the United States
by cogitASIA Staff • • 4 Comments
By Nguyen Manh Hung Vietnam’s deputy prime minister Pham Binh Minh, who also serves as foreign minister, made a widely-publicized telephone call to Secretary of State John Kerry on May 21, 2014, to discuss the crisis caused by China’s deployment…
How Southeast Asia Heard the President’s West Point Speech
by Ernest Z. Bower • • 0 Comments
By Ernest Bower U.S. allies and partners in Southeast Asia will be pleased to see that President Obama is explaining the basis for U.S. engagement in the world, even though this was not an Asia speech. Obama’s approach describes a…
Vietnam’s Incomplete Military Modernization
by cogitASIA Staff • • 2 Comments
By Zachary Abuza Though often described as “battle-tested,” the Vietnam People’s Army’s last combat was in 1989 in Cambodia. Since the mid-1990s, Vietnam has developed maritime and air capabilities in order to defend its maritime domain; Vietnamese military expenditures climbed…
The Leaderboard: Kathleen Stephens
by cogitASIA Staff • • 0 Comments
Who is she? Ambassador Kathleen Stephens is a 35 year career diplomat who has held posts in the United States, East Asia and Europe. She most recently served as the acting undersecretary of state for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs…
ASEAN, China and the Oilrig: Whose Failure?
by cogitASIA Staff • • 5 Comments
By Bill Hayton Should ASEAN declare war on China? The question is ludicrous but if you had spent the past 10 days reading commentaries on ASEAN’s summit in Myanmar, you might be forgiven for thinking it was a viable policy…
India’s Response to the FAA’s Downgrade
by cogitASIA Staff • • 0 Comments
By Rasika Gynedi An important issue for the upcoming government in India is to restore India’s Category 1 rating under the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) program. Without a Category 1 rating, Indian airlines will neither…
Toward a Way Out in China-Vietnam Tensions in the South China Sea
by cogitASIA Staff • • 3 Comments
By Jonathan London Beijing’s recent actions in the South China Sea toward Vietnam are disappointing and alarming. That China is an emerging power gives it no right to impose outsized sovereignty claims on its neighbors. Yet this is precisely what…
The Leaderboard: Suresh K. Reddy
by cogitASIA Staff • • 0 Comments
Who is he? Suresh K. Reddy has served as India’s ambassador to Iraq since June 2011. He became India’s first ambassador to the country in 2005 and is credited with having strengthened Indo-Iraqi ties. Prior to this appointment, he handled…
Toward a Reset? The road ahead for the United States and South Korea-Japan Relations
by cogitASIA Staff • • 0 Comments
By Andrew Kwon No doubt on the agenda of President Obama’s recent trip to Northeast Asia was a push to develop closer South Korea-Japan relations. However, given the range and depth of issues involved, the road ahead is fraught with…