Bridging Strategic Asia

The conclusion in October 2008 of the U.S.-India Civilian Nuclear Agreement and a formal security agreement between Japan and India have been touted as turning points in respective bilateral relations. When joined with the long-standing U.S.-Japan alliance, many have suggested these building blocks may form the basis for greater trilateral cooperation and interaction in coming years on a host of international issues of common interest.

Indeed, the gradual breakdown in traditional notions of “Asia” in recent years has been noticeable, as India has entered the strategic discussion in East Asia increasingly, while the United States and Japan (and China) have become factors for consideration in South Asia. It was in this spirit that the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), in partnership with the Japan Institute for International Affairs (JIIA), hosted closed conferences in Washington, DC, and Tokyo, Japan, in June 2007 and February 2008, respectively, to facilitate discussion among a younger generation of U.S., Japanese, and Indian foreign policy experts and practitioners. The idea was to bring a fresh perspective to the issues at hand, and to broaden the network of those within the U.S., Japanese, and Indian elite who may recognize the new possibilities of trilateral relations. In total, the two two-day meetings combined to address nine topics. The first meeting examined the respective strategic visions of each country, and national perspectives on the rise of China, nonproliferation, and energy security. The second meeting discussed potential economic convergence, Southeast Asia, counterterrorism, maritime security, and the role of values (human rights and democracy) in respective foreign policies.