Defense and Security - Related

U.S. and Iranian Strategic Competition: The Impact of China and Russia

ecurran — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500

US competition with Iran has become the equivalent of a game of three-dimensional chess, but a game where each side can modify at least some of the rules with each move.

PacNet #9 - Protecting Chinese Citizens Abroad: What next?

ellise — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500

The dramatic rise in overseas travel and expatriate work by Chinese was punctuated by the recent kidnappings of Chinese workers in Sudan and Egypt. "Overseas Chinese protection" (haiwai gongmin baohu) has been a critical priority since deadly attacks killed 14 Chinese workers in Afghanistan and Pakistan in 2004.

The Evolving U.S. Footprint in Southeast Asia

kate — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500

Over the past two weeks, U.S. defense secretary Leon Panetta and his key officers, including Admiral Robert F. Willard, commander of U.S. Pacific Command, have actively explained details of President Barack Obama’s January 5 announcement about the new defense budget and its implications for the Asia Pacific. Southeast Asian counterparts want to clearly understand U.S.

Key Official US and IAEA Statements About Iran’s Nuclear Programs

ian — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500

There is a great deal of speculation about Iran’s nuclear programs that do not list sources or reflect the views of the US intelligence community.

The Real Issues in Afghanistan: Looking Beyond Undefined Policy Statements and Slogans

ian — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500

Secretary’s Panetta’s comment about ending the US combat role in Afghanistan in 2013, and focusing on building up Afghan forces, have triggered a predictable firestorm of criticism, guesswork, and speculation.

Russia’s Self-defeating Game in Syria

kate — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500

Russia’s opposition to a new UN Security Council resolution calling on Syrian president Bashar al-Assad to step down should hardly come as a surprise. Reflecting a series of calculations about the Middle East as well as relations with the West, Moscow has staunchly backed Assad throughout the popular unrest roiling Syria over the past 10 months.

PacNet #8 - A Moment for Action for the Life Sciences

ellise — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500

An important research finding in the life sciences has galvanized and divided the international scientific and security communities.

PacNet #7A - US-India Relations: Pivot Problems

ellise — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

There is a conundrum at the heart of the Obama administration's "pivot" toward Asia, at least as it relates to India.

The “New” US Defense Strategy and the FY2013 US Defense Budget: The Details of What the Department Has Said to Date

ian — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

During the last month, the US Department of Defense has issued a series of announcements, and two white papers summarizing its “new” approach to strategy and the decisions it is making in its FY2013 budget submission to cut the size and cost of US military forces.

PacNet #7 - Return to Asia: It's Not (All) About China

ellise — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

"All right China, come out with your hands up; we've got you surrounded!" When one reads about the US "pivot" to Asia, it is almost always cast in terms of countering China's rise, as if it - and everything else that Washington does in Asia - is always all about China. Of course, Beijing thinks it's all about China . . .

DIIG Current Issues No. 27: Internal R&D Productivity in Aerospace and Defense

gsanders — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

In an environment of declining defense spending by what have traditionally been the largest customers on both sides of the Atlantic, aerospace and defense companies face difficult decisions on how to deploy their cash.

Measuring the Causes of Instability in the Middle East and North Africa

ian — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

The Burke Chair at CSIS has developed a new report entitled The Causes of Instability in the Middle East and North Africa, which is available on the CSIS web site at:

http://csis.org/files/publication/120126_MENA_Stability_Slides.pdf

PacNet #6A - All Roads to Myanmar

ellise — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

One after another, Western dignitaries are traveling to Myanmar. A standard interpretation of the change in attitude is that Myanmar is finally demonstrating the courage and means to break away from China. But was Myanmar in the Chinese "geopolitical grip" in the first place?

Middle East Notes and Comment: The Arab Decade?

dholodnik — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

One year ago, the protests in Cairo’s Tahrir Square proved that Tunisia was not a fluke. Until January 2011, Tunisia didn’t resonate much in the Arab world. It was too small, too Francophile, and too socially liberal.

US and Iranian Strategic Competition In Sanctions, Energy, Arms Control, and Arms Transfers

sherry — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

Tightening sanctions and Iran’s reactions have become a race against time. Every day brings a new event as the competition between the US and Iran plays out on a global level. The Burke Chair at CSIS is issuing a new report that puts this competition in a broader perspective, as part of its on-going series on US and Iranian strategic competition.

PacNet #6 - Myanmar's Reforms: The Challenges Ahead

ellise — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

The recent release of many high-profile political prisoners by the Myanmar government has been hailed as a firm step on the country's path toward democracy. While the effects of many reforms have not yet trickled down tangibly to the masses and remain largely confined to major cities and Bamar-majority areas, noticeable changes have undeniably occurred.

Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty

sherry — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the moratorium on nuclear testing by the United States and the Soviet Union. Following a combined total of 2,000 test explosions, only a handful has been detonated since 1992.

The FY2013 Defense Budget Submission: Strategy is Easy (and Usually Vacuous); Money is Hard (And Only Meaningful if Used Wisely)

ian — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

The Obama Administration announced a new strategy early this month, but one in which it failed to provide meaningful details as to changes in deployments, force levels and plans, procurement plans, and spending.

PacNet #5 - Congress and Obama's China Policy, More Bark than Bite

ellise — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

The 112th Congress will complete its term in 2012 marked by strong opposition to policies of President Barack Obama on government debt, budget cuts, health care, and other issues.

Responses to PacNet #1R – North Korea: What Not to Do

ellise — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

I defer to the experts who are debating the likely and/or desirable near-term direction of North Korea's transition from the second to the third generation of the glorious Kim family. Victor Cha calls the stability prediction "optimistic" but worries that it won't happen because someone will do something untoward.

A New Security Architecture for the Arctic

jdunton — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

The Arctic will experience extraordinary economic and environmental change over the next several decades. Commercial, human, and state interaction will rise dramatically. More drilling for oil and gas in the region and growing shipping and ecotourism as new shipping routes come into existence are just a few of the examples of increased human activity in the Arctic.

Key Risks in the New Defense Guidance: What Kind of War and Where?

sherry — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

On January 5, the president announced new foundational defense guidance. Fiscal challenges clearly dictated the timing of the Department of Defense’s (DoD) most recent comprehensive review. However, new guidance was essential at some point if DoD was to transition into the post–Iraq/Afghanistan world in the most deliberate and responsible way possible.

PacNet #4 - South Korea's Policy Toward China After President Lee's Visit

ellise — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

Last week, President Lee Myung-bak visited China as a state guest and held a summit with President Hu Jintao. They addressed the Sino-South Korean strategic cooperative partnership and how to strengthen the relationship between their countries' foreign and defense ministries.

PacNet #3 - Comparative Connections Summary

ellise — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

It's been an Asia-centric four months. The US proclaimed America's "pivot" toward Asia, while North Korea faced a pivotal moment following the death of Kim Jong Il.

Fiji Lifts Martial Law, but Introduces New Restrictions

gpoling — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

Fiji prime minister Frank Bainimarama’s New Year’s Day announcement that the government will lift emergency powers has been met with considerable skepticism, but it might be considered a first positive step forward.

Needed: A National Economic Security Lens

ecurran — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

Last October, a U.S. intelligence report to Congress revealed that foreign economic espionage worth billions of dollars is being driven by China and Russia and represents a “significant and growing” threat to the nation’s prosperity and security.

Comparative Connections v.13 n.3