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Pacific

Conceptualising the Indo-Pacific
Multimedia, 21 October 2020
In this first episode, Veerle is joined by Dr. Neil Melvin, Director of RUSI’s International Security Studies department and Aaditya Dave, Research Analyst in the Navigating the Indo-Pacific Programme of the ISS department. Together, they explore the Indo-Pacific concept and region, why the concept of the Indo-Pacific is catching on, what some of the key defence and security questions in the...
Tags: Bridging the Oceans Podcast Series, China, International Security Studies, Navigating the Indo-Pacific, Japan, India, Maritime Forces, Pacific, Central and South Asia
Japan’s Indo-Pacific Vision: What's Next After Abe?
Multimedia, 21 October 2020
Veerle and Ryosuke Hanada, Indo-Pacific Fellow at the Perth USAsia Centre, explore the origins of Japan’s Indo-Pacific policy, unpack its trajectory over the last few years, and look ahead at whether and how it might evolve in a post-Abe government. They also discuss Japan’s priority sub-regions and policy areas in the Indo-Pacific, which helps pinpoint areas for collaboration and cooperation...
Tags: Bridging the Oceans Podcast Series, China, International Security Studies, Navigating the Indo-Pacific, Japan, India, Maritime Forces, Pacific, Central and South Asia
Welcome to Bridging the Oceans
Multimedia, 28 September 2020
In this trailer, we explore some of the key questions we’ll be asking in the flagship podcast of the Navigating the Indo-Pacific programme of RUSI’s International Security Studies department.
Tags: Bridging the Oceans Podcast Series, China, International Security Studies, Navigating the Indo-Pacific, Japan, India, Maritime Forces, Pacific, Central and South Asia
What Will an Indo-Pacific Supply Chain Resilience Initiative Mean for China?
RUSI Newsbrief, 25 September 2020
Jagannath Panda
The emergence of alternative global supply chains could hurt China’s economic influence. Beijing must dial down its ‘charm offensive’ economic policies to remain an attractive trade partner.
Tags: China, Japan, India, Global Security Issues, Pacific
Germany's New Policy Paper for the Indo-Pacific: Some Change in Tone, Little in Substance
Commentary, 11 September 2020
Andreas Fulda
Germany has unveiled its new policy paper for the Indo-Pacific region. It has yet to unveil a new foreign policy.
Tags: China, Germany, Pacific
Between Tragedy and Strategy in the Philippines
Commentary, 1 September 2020
Joshua Bernard B Espeña
The Philippines’ policy of avoiding any confrontation with China is not working. It is time for a rethink of the country’s posture and alliance with the US.
Tags: PacificPages

Lessons from Down Under: The Soft Power Dividend of Financial Crime Technical Assistance
Commentary, 8 August 2018Tom Keatinge
The UK should learn from Australia and become a global leader in the provision and coordination of technical assistance by turning its financial crime-fighting focus abroad.
Centre for Financial Crime and Security Studies, AML/CTF, UK, Europe, Pacific
President Trump’s Indo–Pacific Economic Investment Initiative: Good, But Not Enough
Commentary, 6 August 2018Veerle Nouwens
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has laid out a new vision for American economic engagement in the Indo–Pacific, announcing the rollout of a new US regional infrastructure initiative, which, while not explicitly targeting China’s growing economic power in the region, attempts to provide Indo–Pacific countries with US financial and technical alternatives to China. The funds may be modest, yet...
Asia, International Security Studies, New Silk Road, United States, Pacific, Central and South Asia
Upstaging Armageddon: Kim Jong-un and the Inter-Korean Summit
Commentary, 27 April 2018Adam Cathcart
When attempting to assess today’s inter-Korean summit, the adage ‘Hope for the best, prepare for the worst’ seems more appropriate than ever.
North Korea, Pacific
Pre-constructing Chinese President Xi Jinping’s Report to the 19th Party Congress
Commentary, 11 October 2017Charles Parton
The set-piece moment of China’s 19th Communist Party congress, scheduled to start on 18 October, is the General Secretary’s Report. It will reflect President and Party General Secretary Xi Jinping’s vision for governing China up to 2022. Here is a peek at what might be in its 13 sections.
China, Pacific
Does North Korea Matter to Russia?
Commentary, 28 September 2017Sarah Lain
Chinese, Russian and US cooperation at the UN over North Korea’s nuclear developments does not mean that these countries see the threat in the same way. However, Russia has the potential to play a constructive role in de-escalating tensions.
North Korea, Russia, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Europe, PacificPages

Atomic Outcast: Will North Korea Behave Like A ‘Normal’ Nuclear Power?
RUSI Journal, 19 January 2018Björn Alexander Düben
The nature of North Korea's political system suggests that it might not behave like other nuclear powers.
RUSI Journal, North Korea, Defence Policy, Global Security Issues, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Pacific
Book Review: North Korea and Nuclear Weapons: Entering the New Era of Deterrence
RUSI Journal, 15 December 2017Diana Clark Gill
Diana Clark Gill reviews North Korea and Nuclear Weapons: Entering the New Era of Deterrence, edited by Sung Chull Kim and Michael D Cohen.
RUSI Journal, North Korea, Global Security Issues, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Pacific
Mending Vulnerabilities to Isolation: How Chinese Power Grows out of the Development of the Belt and Road Initiative
RUSI Journal, 1 December 2017Christer Ljungwall and Viking Bohman
The Belt and Road Initiative is gradually moving China and its economy beyond the reach of Western sanctions and reducing the economic impact that a US naval blockade could have.
China, RUSI Journal, Pacific
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
The Origins of Today’s Chemical Weapons Controversy in China–Japan Relations
RUSI Journal, 4 October 2017Jeanne Guillemin
Japan's activities in China form an important, but often underappreciated, part of the history of chemical weapons.
China, RUSI Journal, Japan, Global Security Issues, History, PacificPages

"“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, Pacific
"[13:15] “What we are seeing now is a much more democratised space environment, more and more actors being able to be involved and yes there are certain states that have more capabilities and are trying to be space powers, but it’s a much different environment [compared to the Cold War]”"
World at One 03/01/2019
In The News, 3 January 2019 Tags: Aerospace, China, Military Sciences, Pacific
"“Because the United States in particular has refused — apart from the cases of the U.K. and France — to export armed models of its iconic Predator and Reaper series of armed drones, China has sort of stepped in to fill that gap. And while its offerings such as the Wing Loong series or CH-4 are less technologically capable than their American counterparts, they’re available pretty much to any state that wants to buy,” Bronk told VOA."
China Meets Growing Demand for Armed Drones in Middle East
In The News, 3 January 2019 Tags: China, Military Sciences, Pacific
"The Friday attack was “reflective of a growing China focus by the BLA”, said Raffaello Pantucci, director of international security studies at the London-based Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies."
Separatist rebels storm China's consulate in Pakistan, two police killed
In The News, 23 November 2018 Tags: China, International Security Studies, Pakistan, Terrorism, Pacific
"It is five years since Mr Xi’s pair of speeches in Astana and Jakarta launched the BRI. Since then, much of what China does outside China has become associated with the BRI. At one stage, this was true of much within China as well, where almost every region and institution sought to associate themselves to the leader’s big initiative. Five years later, it can come as no surprise therefore that some of the projects that were brought under the broader BRI umbrella have encountered issues"
China’s Belt and Road hits problems but is still popular
In The News, 15 November 2018 Tags: China, International Security Studies, Pacific
Japan’s Engagement with Southeast Asia
Salvaging the Iran Nuclear Deal: Round One in Vienna, and What Comes Next
Unintended Consequences: Humanitarianism and CTF Compliance