Asia

How to Seize the Momentum for US–Indo-Pacific Relations 

During his week-long tour of the Indo-Pacific, President Donald Trump at first blush accomplished what he had set out to achieve. From attending the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit meeting in Kuala Lumpur, to overseeing a ceasefire agreement...

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Trial by Fire for Japan’s New Prime Minister

Having won the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s (LDP) leadership election on October 4, Sanae Takaichi’s road to becoming Japan’s fifth prime minister in as many years has been anything but straightforward. Until now, the leader of the LDP had...

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Political Stability Must Top Japan’s Leadership Agenda

Having won the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s leadership election on October 4, Sanae Takaichi is set to be Japan’s fifth prime minister in as many years. As the first female leader of the party that has dominated Japanese politics...

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China’s Closing Window: Strategic Compression and the Risk of Crisis

When Beijing dispatched a relatively unknown rear admiral from its National Defense University to the 2025 Shangri-La Dialogue, bypassing its own defense minister and forfeiting its plenary address, it did more than snub Asia’s premier security forum. It signaled...

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Glimmers of Optimism: Evaluating Taiwan’s Evolving Political Landscape

Since President Lai Ching-te was inaugurated in May 2024, Taiwan’s domestic politics have been in relative turmoil. Large-scale protests, the incarceration of Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) leader Ko Wen-je on corruption charges, and an unprecedented recall election targeting thirty-one...

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Searching for Taiwan’s South China Sea Policy under Lai Ching-te

The multi-state dispute in the South China Sea has enveloped the region for decades, with no signs of abating. Much of the media attention on the region has recently focused on coercion and aggression conducted by the People’s Republic...

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From Vouchers to Visas: China’s Innovative Plan for AI Dominance

Introduction While international attention often centers on China’s latest foundation models or its constrained access to high-end artificial intelligence (AI) chips, these headlines obscure the broader architecture of China’s AI strategy. China is pursuing a dual-track approach that combines...

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China’s Cyber Playbook for the Indo-Pacific

Cyber operations are now a defining feature of modern warfare, as the war in Ukraine has demonstrated—and China is taking note. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 has served as a testing ground for the integration of emerging technologies...

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Taiwan Relations Act in a New Era of Security Cooperation

For a document intended to carefully outline relations with a key US partner while navigating a region’s complex history and geopolitical realities, eight pages seem brief. Enacted in 1979 in response to the US switch in recognition from the...

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Beyond Recall: Prospects for Taiwanese Unity after July 26

Introduction If there was ever any doubt, Taiwan’s July 26 “Great Recall” election makes one thing clear: Taiwanese politics are deeply divided. For many in the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), a vote to recall one of twenty-four Kuomintang (KMT)...

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