Who is he? Daniel R. Russel, better known as Danny, is currently serving as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Asian Affairs on the White House National Security Staff (NSS). From 2009 to 2011, he was the…
The U.S. Trade Representative’s Office agreed with the Japanese government this week on terms for Japan to accede to the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations. There will be 90-day comment period for the U.S. Congress, and then each of the other…
By Monica Whaley Enough with the ‘clever’ jibes about silly shirts or acronym fatigue. Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) is a robust, reliable and flexible “multi-tool” in the United States’ foreign and economic policy toolkit that has served U.S. interests effectively…
By Michael Vatikiotis It has been a terrible year so far in terms of security in the Asia Pacific region. Japan and China have come close to trading blows over disputed Senkaku/ Diaoyu islands in the East China Sea; North Korea…
In the South China Sea the season for territorial and fishing clashes has started. Vietnam accused China of firing shots at a fishing trawler near the Paracel islands, while a Chinese ministry of defence report stated that only flares were…
By Matt Goodman Japan’s demographic trends are grim, but the Japanese make it harder on themselves by not better using the people they have. Women in particular are famously underutilized. Some 60 percent of women quit the workforce after giving…
This week sectarian violence erupted between Buddhists and Muslims in the central Myanmar town of Meiktila, leaving at least 20 dead, though the tally is likely much higher, and includes men, women, and children. The clashes, triggered by a dispute…
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe formally announced that Japan plans to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations, after months of debate in Japan and diplomatic consultations with existing TPP partners. CSIS scholars Mike Green and Matt Goodman were on the case…
By Matt Goodman & Mike Green Editor’s Note: This piece is cross-posted from the CNN Global Public Square Blog where it first appeared here. Since the first merchant ship of the new American republic set sail from New York for…
North Korea’s bizarre and provocation-filled 2013 has shifted to outright danger this week. Following an additional UN Security Council resolution after the DPRK’s latest nuclear test, the government of the North is threatening South Korea and President Park Geun-hye with…
