Kansai Gaidai University, Osaka, Japan
What Biden Forgets in Skipping the ASEAN Summit
Leaders of the ten Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) states are meeting in Jakarta between now and September 7, with the 10-member bloc under fire from two major fronts—the lingering crisis in Myanmar that…
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BRICS Expansion: India’s Tragic Mistake
The BRICS bloc of emerging economies – Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa – have agreed to expand the grouping’s global reach with the addition of six new members as of January 1: Argentina,…
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Who Wants to Talk? Communication Difficulties Constrain Japan-China Relations
In what has become a common occurrence in both the East China Sea and the Sea of Japan, Russian Il-38 information-gathering aircraft were found flying too close to Japan for Tokyo’s comfort, who scrambled fighter jets…
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Growing Japan-Italy Ties Emphasize Tokyo’s Pressing Need for Assistance
In May, Italy’s Chief of Defense Adm. Giuseppe Cavo Dragone gave a speech to the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C. in which he warned of the inevitable rise of militaries in…
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The Past Holds Clues to Thailand’s Foreign Policy under Pheu Thai
Predictions of a foreign policy reset following the upset of Thailand’s long-dominant conservative establishment in the May 2023 election have proved to be premature. The junta-appointed Senate, permitted by the Kingdom’s 2017 Constitution, has stonewalled Pita Limjaroenrat,…
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India’s Foreign Policy Progress in Sri Lanka is a Strategic Setback for China
It was only a year ago that Sri Lanka dominated international headlines, as its worst economic crisis in more than 70 years contributed to severe domestic strife, including deadly riots, and severe shortages of fuel, food and critical…
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Pita Touches the “Third Rail” of Thai Politics
If you touch it, you die. That’s the supposed result for politicians who confront highly contentious issues. Likened to grasping the “third rail,” the one that provides the electricity that powers a train or subway,…
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Prayut Has Retired, but His Undemocratic Legacy Will Live On
In a span of hours yesterday, two events shook Thailand’s political landscape. First, after more than nine years in power, Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha formally announced his retirement from politics and resigned as head of…
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Heyzer’s Exit Marks a Low Point for the UN’s Envoys to Myanmar
Noeleen Heyzer, the special envoy of the United Nations secretary-general to Myanmar, has departed her position after what appeared like no time at all. It appeared that way because, since her appointment in October 2021,…
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Time Running Out on Indonesia’s Myanmar Diplomacy
Indonesia had been among the ASEAN member-states that advocated a firm position on diplomacy with Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, the plotter and leader of the February 2021 coup that overthrew the civilian government in Myanmar.…
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