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Pacific
‘Short of War’: No Peace in the South China Sea
RUSI Newsbrief, 1 April 2019
Huong Le Thu
China’s ongoing construction efforts have created a situation where (in the words of the Commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, Admiral Philip Davidson) Beijing is ‘capable of controlling the South China Sea in all scenarios short of war with the United States’. The absence of outright war reflects not only China’s ability to move the threshold for instigating open conflict, but also the fact...
Tags: China, Global Security Issues, Pacific
The UK and India in the Indo-Pacific
Commentary, 1 March 2019
Aaditya Dave
Looking beyond the historical links between the UK and India, there are opportunities and reasons for the two to work together in the Indo-Pacific region.
Tags: Civil–Military Relations, India, Global Strategy and Commitments, International Security Studies, UK, Global Security Issues, Maritime Forces, Pacific
Sizing Up Sanctions in the Second Trump–Kim Jong-un Summit
Commentary, 26 February 2019
Emil Dall
Can the US offer enough financial incentives to North Korea in exchange for denuclearisation, without discrediting the current sanctions regime? A way around the dilemma may exist. As President Donald Trump meets his North Korean counterpart, the role of sanctions in the negotiations warrant further discussion.
Tags: North Korea, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Sanctions, Pacific
Charting Britain’s Moves in the South China Sea
Commentary, 6 February 2019
John Hemmings
A British naval presence in the South China Sea strengthens global security and Britain’s global role. But it must be matched with a more systematic approach to the region, and to China’s defiance of legal norms.
Tags: China, Defence Policy, Global Security Issues, Maritime Forces, UK Defence, Pacific
Bougainville, Papua New Guinea: Lessons from a Successful Peace Process
RUSI Journal, 28 January 2019
Anthony Regan
Can the success of the peace process in Bougainville offer useful lessons for similar situations?
Tags: Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding, Pacific
"“This year, China is really the country everyone is talking about,” Karin von Hippel, the head of the Royal United Services Institute in London, told Today’s WorldView. “China is a growing power and is obviously a threat in some ways, but at the same time, it’s so big and will be so powerful that we can’t treat China as an enemy. We all have to figure out ways to work with it.” "
The lesson of Davos: China has arrived
In The News, 25 January 2019 Tags: China, PacificPages
India and China: Will the Doklam Row Plateau Off?
Commentary, 2 August 2017Shashank Joshi
Since mid-June, India and China have been locked in the most serious crisis between the two countries in 30 years.
China, India, Pacific, Central and South Asia
Britain Needs New Safeguards to Deal with Chinese Investment
Commentary, 1 August 2017John Hemmings
China’s foreign direct investment is both necessary and welcome. However, it comes with risks, which current legal structures in Britain are ill-equipped to assess.
China, National Security, Pacific
Is China’s Xi Jinping Removing Possible Successors?
Commentary, 26 July 2017Charles Parton
President Xi Jinping has moved decisively and unexpectedly against one of the top 25 Communist Party officials in the Politburo, Sun Zhengcai, once seen as a possible successor.
China, Pacific
The US and South Korea: A Fracturing Alliance?
Commentary, 27 June 2017Cristina Varriale
While there is a strong relationship between the US and South Korea, the new administrations in both capitals face challenges in adopting a common approach to Pyongyang.
North Korea, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Global Security Issues, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Pacific
A Proactive Diplomat: Vietnam’s Wooing of Trump’s America
Commentary, 14 June 2017Huong Le Thu
The Vietnamese prime minister travelled to Washington, DC last month in an attempt to get the Trump administration onside on trade, defence and regional issues.
United States, Americas, PacificPages
China’s Battle with Abandoned Chemical Weapons
RUSI Journal, 4 October 2017Wanglai Gao
Beijing and Tokyo have developed a robust relationship to address the ongoing damage caused by Japan's abandoned chemical weapons.
China, RUSI Journal, Japan, Global Security Issues, History, Pacific
Preparing for War in Korea
Whitehall Reports, 27 September 2017Malcolm Chalmers
This report looks at how a war in the Korean Peninsula could start and what might happen should it break out.
US Defence Policy, Whitehall Reports, North Korea, Defence Policy, Pacific
Independent Ally: Australia in an Age of Power Transition
RUSI Journal, 9 August 2017William Clapton
William Clapton reviews Independent Ally: Australia in an Age of Power Transition, by Shannon Tow.
RUSI Journal, Defence Policy, Pacific
The Tactics and Strategy of the Australian Light Infantry in Counter-Revolutionary Operations in South Vietnam, 1966–71
RUSI Journal, 9 August 2017Andrew T Ross
The tactics used by the 1st Australian Task Force yielded better results than those used by US forces.
RUSI Journal, History, Pacific
Book Review: China Matters: Getting it Right for Australia
RUSI Journal, 9 August 2017John Hemmings
John Hemmings review China Matters: Getting it Right for Australia by Bates Gill and Linda Jakobson.
China, RUSI Journal, Defence Policy, PacificPages
"“There isn’t really a known defense mechanism against a railgun shot at high Mach numbers. It’s too fast and too small for current anti-ship missile and anti-aircraft defense systems....If they can get it integrated as a major component into their future fleet arsenal, it will give them a really significant edge over the U.S. Navy.""
What Is A Hypersonic Railgun? How The Superweapon China May Be Building Works
In The News, 2 February 2018 Tags: China, Military Sciences, Maritime Forces, Technology, Pacific
"Professor Malcolm Chalmers, a defence expert from the Royal United Services Institute (Rusi), told Daily Star Online China wants a North Korean regime change. Prof Chalmers said: “China has been trying to find another member of the Kim family to replace him – which has of course enraged him. China are interested more in personnel change rather than regime change.”"
Kim Jong-un 'to be KILLED' by SAS and US commando units amid fears of EMP attack on Seoul
In The News, 1 October 2017 Tags: China, North Korea, Global Security Issues, Pacific
"“Trump’s singling out of Pakistan for harbouring terrorist organisations has led to a downturn in US-Pakistan relations. Pakistan will be looking to China to discuss not just their economic relationship, but how to proceed with matters of regional security, like Afghanistan,” Nouwens said."
Pakistani minister’s visit to Beijing comes at tricky time after China’s ‘terrorist’ declaration
In The News, 7 September 2017 Tags: China, Pakistan, International Security Studies, Global Security Issues, Pacific, Central and South Asia
"It is not North Korea’s intention to launch a bolt-from-the-blue attack. This would lead to an overwhelming US military response that would see the end of the Kim regime, the exact outcome Pyongyang is trying to avoid."
North Korea’s nuclear programme: How worried should we be?
In The News, 5 September 2017 Tags: United States, Americas, North Korea, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Global Security Issues, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Pacific
"“The Ministry of Defence has expressed an interest in being involved in Asia and the South China Sea. The British defence security policy is to be an international player and to make a contribution to security on the global scale.“One consequence of Brexit, perhaps, is it’s made us more interested in relations with other countries, which might include Australia. One way of making yourself more relevant to Australia and even Japan is to commit some forces to operate in that area. On the other hand it also might be the UK wishes for influence in the United States, you might judge influence in the US might be greater if our forces are operating alongside the US in these areas away from Europe.”"
NORTH KOREA WAR: Britain promises to send nuclear sub to help Trump blitz Kim Jong-un
In The News, 20 August 2017 Tags: Defence, Industries and Society, North Korea, Defence Policy, UK, Pacific
The UK’s Integrated Review Has Restarted: Are Key Questions and Assumptions Still Valid?
Open Skies Clouded by Sham and Ambiguity
Western Way of War: Professor Frank Hoffman