January 7, 2023
Climate change challenges Asia Pacific security
At first glance, regional security issues seem to be remote from the problems of climate change. They involve exercising diplomatic and military power, often in collaboration with other like-minded countries, to ensure that the balance of power in the region is not disturbed. Regional security in…
December 31, 2022
Will diplomacy bring restraint back to the South China Sea?
Attention shifted away from the South China Sea (SCS) in 2022 as the world confronted the Ukraine War and the Taiwan Strait crisis in February and August. Fears that a Ukraine-inspired conflict would erupt in the Taiwan Strait have not eventuated. Domestic economic and political concerns, such as…
December 14, 2022
Time for a ‘Radford–Collins’ agreement for the Quad?
After a false start 15 years ago, the annual Malabar naval exercise has become a key strategic development for the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue partners, the United States, India, Japan and Australia.
December 12, 2022
The tough security outlook for the Indo-Pacific
Here’s the ‘darkening’ security outlook for the Indo-Pacific for 2023.
December 6, 2022
Finally at the table, not on the menu: Canada launches its Indo-Pacific strategy
On Nov. 27 Canada released a long-delayed Indo-Pacific Strategy. The strategy has five interconnected strategic objectives: Promote peace, resilience, and security Expand trade, investment, and supply chain resilience Invest in and connect people Build a sustainable and green future Canada as an…
December 5, 2022
What the debate on Vietnam’s geostrategic orientation misses
Should Vietnam continue building its maritime forces or should it pivot landward to best ensure its security? Few would dispute that this is a critical question that merits close scrutiny. As an emergent middle power, Vietnam simply doesn’t have sufficient resources to simultaneously pursue a…
November 9, 2022
Strategic divergence threatens Australia-ASEAN relations
Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles said in a July 2022 speech that Australia needed to ‘attune itself to the concerns of the Indo-Pacific region’. That includes Southeast Asia.
October 16, 2022
Vietnam’s maritime imperative
The recent debate on The Strategist about whether Vietnam should have a maritime or continental geostrategic orientation has reinvigorated the long-term and historical interaction between the two strategic cultures. It also shows that it’s not easy for a relatively small power such as Vietnam to…
October 7, 2022
What Indo-Pacific countries should do about Taiwan
In retaliating against US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s August trip to Taiwan, the People’s Republic of China deployed military maneuvers to encircle the island and, for the first time in nearly 26 years, conduct missile launches into Taiwan’s coastal waters. Beijing’s recent military exercises,…