Spanning from the Singapore and Malacca straits to the Strait of Taiwan, the South China Sea is one of the world's most hotly disputed bodies of water. China lays claim to nearly the entire sea, overlapping with the maritime claims of Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and the Philippines. With sovereign territory, natural resources, and national pride at stake, this dispute threatens to destabilize the region and even draw the United States into a conflict.
Authors: Jerome A. Cohen and Yu-Jie Chen South China Morning Post
Jerome A. Cohen and Yu-Jie Chen argue that legal safeguards remain inadequate for Taiwanese suspected of a crime on the mainland despite hopes of reform to allow greater security for detainees
Jerome A. Cohen discusses the successes of the Shanghai Communique forty years later and says challenges lie ahead for political leaders to preserve both peace in East Asia and freedom for the people of Taiwan.
Authors: Jerome A. Cohen and Yu-Jie Chen South China Morning Post
Jerome A. Cohen and Yu-jie Chen say progress has been made so far under an agreement between Beijing and Taipei on law enforcement and judicial cooperation, but several key issues demand attention.
A new trade deal promises to bring Taiwan and China closer economically, but tensions on security issues remain, says Taiwanese Minister Johnny Chiang.
Regarding the United States' sale of arms to Taiwan, Leslie H. Gelb states, "It's not at all clear that Chinese and American leaders have thought strategically about their next moves and how to keep the situation within bounds."
As Taipei drifts further into Beijing's sphere of influence, the United States must decide whether to continue arming Taiwan as a bulwark against a rising China or step back to allow the Taiwanese people to determine their own future.
"Can contemporary Chinese political culture sustain a constitutional court?" asks Jerome Cohen, pointing to the Taiwanese Council of Grand Justices as a model for China to consider.
In response to the Taiwanese Pime Minister's comment that political critics who do not live in Taiwan cannot understand the country, Jerome Cohen argues that "foreign critics are useful precisely because their distance gives them a different perspective."
Scott A. Snyder argues that greater stability in relations between Taipei and Beijing have done little to improve Taiwan's long-term strategic position in the region.
The Council on Foreign Relations' David Rockefeller Studies Program—CFR's "think tank"—is home to more than seventy full-time, adjunct, and visiting scholars and practitioners (called "fellows"). Their expertise covers the world's major regions as well as the critical issues shaping today's global agenda. Download the printable CFR Experts Guide.
2011 Corporate Conference: Recaps and Highlights
To encourage the free flow of conversation, the 2011 Corporate Conference was entirely not-for-attribution; however, several conference speakers joined us for sideline interviews further exploring their areas of expertise.
Former Treasury secretary Robert E. Rubin and Nobel Laureate economist Michael Spence on the global economic outlook.
Foreign Affairs editor Gideon Rose and Edward Morse on energy geopolitics.
Special operations play a critical role in how the United States confronts irregular threats, but to have long-term strategic impact, the author argues, numerous shortfalls must be addressed.
The author analyzes the potentially serious consequences, both at home and abroad, of a lightly overseen drone program and makes recommendations for improving its governance.
An authoritative and accessible look at what countries must do to build durable and prosperous democracies—and what the United States and others can do to help. More
Through an in-depth analysis of modern Mexico, Shannon O'Neil provides a roadmap for the United States' greatest overlooked foreign policy challenge of our time—relations with its southern neighbor. More
