By Brian Harding & Kim Mai Tran — On August 5, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will become the first U.S. secretary of state to visit the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). The visit highlights a dramatic rise in attention…
By Takahiro Motegi — Papua New Guinea (PNG) turned down the United States, Japan, and Australia in November 2018, when they offered to build a submarine cable network connecting PNG to the global network. The offer was expected to be…
In this episode, we explore how to build an artificial island. Dr. John McManus of the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School gives a step by step guide to construction and describes the techniques the People’s Republic of China has used…
This week the show explores Australia’s future strategy amid a complex geopolitical landscape down under. To do this, we spoke with CSIS Distinguished Visiting Fellow Andrew Shearer, former Australian National Security Advisor and previously the director of studies at the…
This week we cover the victory of Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party in the Myanmar elections with Phuong Nguyen of the CSIS Chair for Southeast Studies. Then we turn to the upcoming United Nations Paris Climate…
By Ben Schaare Though the Pacific Islands are envisaged as idyllic paradises insulated from high politics, many are facing internal troubles that could see the region become a new “arc of instability” for Australia, New Zealand, and the United States…
In this episode we discuss the challenges in balancing the U.S.-Thai security relationship with continued concerns over the Thai military’s intervention in domestic politics and civil liberties following the May 2014 coup. Desmond Walton, the U.S. military attaché to Bangkok from…
Who is he? John Momis is the president of the autonomous region of Bougainville in Papua New Guinea. A former Catholic priest, he became active in politics in the 1970s, and helped write PNG’s constitution. Momis has been deputy prime…
50 The Articles of Agreement for establishing the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) were signed on June 29 by 50 member states, including countries from within Asia such as South Korea, India, and Australia, and countries outside the region…
By Gregory Poling Ongoing troubles in the West Papua region, and the unwanted attention they have garnered, are a sore spot for Indonesian authorities. They undermine the larger narrative of an Indonesia finally at peace with itself, consolidating its democracy…