Foreign Policy Blogs

Asia & Pacific

Beijing Asserts, Hanoi Beefs Up

Beijing Asserts, Hanoi Beefs Up

Here in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), the local government last week ordered its travel and tourism departments to draw up a feasibility study for tours to the Truong Sa (Spratly) islands, which Vietnam currently occupies.

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No Shangri-La in South China Sea

No Shangri-La in South China Sea

On Saturday in Singapore, U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter addressed the attendants at the 14th Shangri-La Dialogue, a high-level security forum, asserting China’s recent land reclamation in the South China Sea was “out of step” with international norms, and adding his opposition to “any further militarization” in the region.

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Climate change latest battleground in India-Pakistan relations

Climate change latest battleground in India-Pakistan relations

Relations between India and Pakistan have been notoriously frosty for decades. But the two long-time adversaries will soon need to work together to effectively combat literal frost: in other words the effects of climate change.

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U.S. Confronts China Over Airspace in South China Sea

U.S. Confronts China Over Airspace in South China Sea

I had not given much thought to the flight plan of the airline I recently booked to go back to the U.S. from Vietnam, but recent events in the airspace over the South China Sea prompted an online search. As I discovered, my commercial flight will be flying not far from where a U.S. surveillance plane was warned on Wednesday to leave by a Chinese radar operator.

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Rising Sun: The Case for Japan’s Military Normalization

Rising Sun: The Case for Japan’s Military Normalization

As Japan pushes into the 21st century, younger generations have lost the emotional connection to the memories of the war and the political philosophy that developed in its wake.

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India Cracks Down on NGOs

India Cracks Down on NGOs

Charities and citizen advocacy groups are having a tough time these days in some large developing countries.

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Forty Years After the War, Vietnam Welcomes the U.S.

Forty Years After the War, Vietnam Welcomes the U.S.

On April 30, Ho Chi Minh City, commonly referred to as Saigon, marked the 40th anniversary of the reunification of Vietnam, after the army of communist North Vietnam brought down the government of South Vietnam, and drove out the Americans following two decades of unsuccessful military involvement.

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Will ASEAN Renounce China’s Reclamation Efforts in the South China Sea?

Will ASEAN Renounce China’s Reclamation Efforts in the South China Sea?

This week, leaders from 10 Southeast Asian nations will gather on the Malaysian resort island of Langkawi for the 26th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit.

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Mumbai Avengers and Other Tales from the Indian Security Establishment

Mumbai Avengers and Other Tales from the Indian Security Establishment

The launch party for a fictional book this past weekend in New Delhi featured several noteworthy assertions about the real-world dimensions of the India-Pakistan rivalry and the inside workings of India’s national security machinery.

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What a Hillary Presidency Means for China

What a Hillary Presidency Means for China

With the announcement of a presidential bid by Democratic Party candidate Hillary Clinton on April 12, many are starting to question what impact another Clinton in the White House would have on the world’s largest nation, China.

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The Robust Force for Peace in the South China Sea

The Robust Force for Peace in the South China Sea

On Mischief Reef, in the South China Sea just off the coast of the Philippine island of Palawan, Chinese workers are busy dredging sand and creating an island on top of partially-submerged coral reefs.

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Will China’s New Bank Undermine the World Bank?

Will China’s New Bank Undermine the World Bank?

While these institutions have made some headway in meeting the infrastructure needs of Asian countries, some critics of the World Bank and ADB argue they are slow and bureaucratic, and impose stifling environmental and social constraints which deter investment.

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What Modi’s Visit to Sri Lanka means for the Tamils

What Modi’s Visit to Sri Lanka means for the Tamils

Ahead of India Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Sri Lanka on Friday, Indian Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar announced New Delhi’s cooperation with Sri Lanka’s new government on the repatriation of 100,000 Tamils currently residing in the southern state of Tamil Nadu.

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New Delhi Reacts to China’s Military Buildup

New Delhi Reacts to China’s Military Buildup

Beijing’s announcement on Thursday of a 10 percent increase in military spending, to $145 billion, marks the fifth consecutive year of double-digit increases, and is not without significant repercussions in Asia.

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Modi, India reformists face major test with budget unveiling

Modi, India reformists face major test with budget unveiling

Tired of corruption and stagnation, India voted the reform-minded Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) into power in May 2014.

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