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ASEAN, China, and the Lasting Divisions Over the South China Sea
Following the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ (ASEAN) foreign ministers meeting earlier this month in Manila, China and Southeast Asian nations announced that they had agreed on a framework for negotiating a code of conduct in the South China Sea. In theory, a code of conduct would set guidelines on activities allowed in the Sea, including militarization and land reclamation. Both Philippine and Chinese leaders touted the adoption of a framework as a serious step toward reducing tensions in the South China Sea. Read More
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August 10, 2017
Philippines
Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte, who blasted the United States repeatedly in 2016, and has reportedly had a lifetime of grievances against Washington, may be recognizing he needs to take a different approach to U.S.-Philippines ties. Duterte repeatedly slammed former president Barack Obama in 2016, and bristled at U.S. criticism of his brutal war on drugs.
Read MoreAugust 9, 2017
North Korea
North Korea has accelerated the timeline for its missile development with two ICBM tests in July. Then the United States engineered a UN Security Council resolution designed to shut down North Korea’s coal, iron and seafood exports and pressure Kim Jong Un to give up his nuclear program. North Korea responded by threatening to take “physical action” -- in the past 24 hours state-run news agency KCNA said its military was “examining the operational plan” to
Read MoreAugust 3, 2017
Southeast Asia
Although the Islamic State group has been recruiting Southeast Asians for years, and Southeast Asians who fought with the Islamic State have steadily been trickling back to the region, only in the past six months have Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, and other countries in Southeast Asia and the Pacific dramatically bolstered their anti–Islamic State cooperation.
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