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Pacific

The UK and the CPTTP: Creating an Asian Option for the Future
Commentary, 4 February 2021
Andrew Cainey
The UK’s application to join a free trade arrangement based around the Pacific Rim may result in a fundamental reorientation of the country’s global posture.
Tags: UK Integrated Review 2021, UK, Pacific
South Korea’s Indo-Pacific Synergy
Multimedia, 3 February 2021
This week, Veerle is joined by Professor Heung-Kyu Kim, founder and Director of the US-China Policy Institute and professor in the Department of Political Science and Diplomacy at Ajou University, South Korea.
Tags: Bridging the Oceans Podcast Series, China, International Security Studies, Navigating the Indo-Pacific, Japan, India, Maritime Forces, Pacific, Central and South Asia
Myanmar's Military Coup: International Reactions
Commentary, 2 February 2021
Aaditya Dave and Veerle Nouwens
The UN Security Council is meeting today to discuss the military coup in Myanmar. There is plenty of condemnation from Western countries, but more nuanced reactions from Myanmar’s immediate neighbours.
Tags: International Security Studies, Navigating the Indo-Pacific, Pacific
Trump, Biden, and the Indo-Pacific
Multimedia, 20 January 2021
After the inauguration of President-elect Biden, this episode both takes a retrospective look at what worked and what didn’t in the Trump Administration’s approach to the Indo-Pacific, and examines what lies ahead for US foreign policy in the region.
Tags: Bridging the Oceans Podcast Series, China, International Security Studies, Navigating the Indo-Pacific, Japan, India, Maritime Forces, Pacific, Central and South Asia
The SCRI and Strategic Advantage for the UK in the Indo-Pacific
RUSI Newsbrief, 15 January 2021
Jagannath Panda
As the UK considers an engagement strategy with the Indo-Pacific after Brexit, the Supply Chain Resilience Initiative offers a chance to build a free-trade bloc amongst ‘like-minded nations’ and deepen strategic ties in the region.
Tags: China, Japan, India, UK, Pacific
Europe Turns to the Indo-Pacific
Multimedia, 16 December 2020
Germany, France, and The Netherlands have published Indo-Pacific Strategies. The United Kingdom speaks of a strategic tilt to the region. But what does all this mean in practice?
Tags: Bridging the Oceans Podcast Series, China, International Security Studies, Navigating the Indo-Pacific, Japan, India, Maritime Forces, Pacific, Central and South AsiaPages

The Geopolitics of Indo-Pacific Trade
Commentary, 25 November 2020Andrew Cainey
While there is talk of a broader ‘Indo-Pacific’, encompassing the Indian Ocean as well as the Pacific, this is not yet reflected in the geopolitics of trade.
China, Navigating the Indo-Pacific, India, Pacific
Germany's New Policy Paper for the Indo-Pacific: Some Change in Tone, Little in Substance
Commentary, 11 September 2020Andreas Fulda
Germany has unveiled its new policy paper for the Indo-Pacific region. It has yet to unveil a new foreign policy.
China, Germany, Pacific
Between Tragedy and Strategy in the Philippines
Commentary, 1 September 2020Joshua 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.
Pacific
Re-Examining the UK’s Priorities in the Asia-Pacific Region
Commentary, 17 March 2020Veerle Nouwens
The UK’s upcoming Integrated Review is a good opportunity to assess the country’s commitment to and posture in the Asia-Pacific, which is rapidly becoming the world’s most pivotal region.
International Security Studies, UK Integrated Review 2021, UK, Pacific
What North Korea Is not Telling Us about Denuclearisation in 2020
Commentary, 2 March 2020Cristina Varriale
A new rallying cry to ‘achieve a breakthrough’ has been launched by the North Korean leader. But what this actually means is, probably deliberately, obfuscated.
Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, North Korea, Global Security Issues, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, PacificPages

Australia’s Indo-Pacific Approach: Principles and Partnerships
Multimedia, 2 December 2020This week, Veerle is joined by Professor Rory Medcalf, Head of the National Security College at the Australian National University and internationally-recognised thought leader for his work on the...
Tags: Bridging the Oceans Podcast Series, China, International Security Studies, Navigating the Indo-Pacific, Japan, India, Maritime Forces, Pacific, Central and South Asia
ASEAN’s Outlook: Maintaining Centrality in the Indo-Pacific
Multimedia, 18 November 2020This week, Veerle is joined by Dr. Evan Laksmana, senior researcher at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Jakarta, Indonesia, and Dr. Huong Le Thu, senior analyst at the...
Tags: Bridging the Oceans Podcast Series, China, International Security Studies, Navigating the Indo-Pacific, Japan, India, Maritime Forces, Pacific, Central and South Asia
India’s Indo-Pacific Vision: Stabilising the Indian Ocean Region
Multimedia, 4 November 2020This week, Veerle is joined by Darshana Baruah, Visiting Fellow at the Sasakawa Peace Foundation in Tokyo and non-resident scholar with the South Asia Program at the Carnegie Endowment for...
Tags: Bridging the Oceans Podcast Series, China, International Security Studies, Navigating the Indo-Pacific, Japan, India, Maritime Forces, Pacific, Central and South Asia
Conceptualising the Indo-Pacific
Multimedia, 21 October 2020In 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...
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 2020Veerle 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...
Tags: Bridging the Oceans Podcast Series, China, International Security Studies, Navigating the Indo-Pacific, Japan, India, Maritime Forces, Pacific, Central and South AsiaPages

Foresight 2020: The Challenges Facing China
RUSI Journal, 11 February 2020Charles Parton
The Chinese Communist Party is facing an increasingly challenging domestic and international environment.
China, RUSI Journal, Pacific
1989–2019: How the End of the Cold War Shaped Today’s World: An Interview with Kristina Spohr
RUSI Journal, 18 December 2019Emma De Angelis with Kristina Spohr
The Journal’s Editor, Emma De Angelis, interviews Kristina Spohr, author of Post Wall, Post Square: Rebuilding the World After 1989, on how the current era was forged after the Cold War.
China, RUSI Journal, Germany, History, Europe, Pacific
Book Review: Island off the Coast of Asia: Instruments of Statecraft in Australian Foreign Policy
RUSI Journal, 29 November 2019William Clapton
William Clapton reviews Island off the Coast of Asia: Instruments of Statecraft in Australian Foreign Policy, by Clinton Fernandes.
RUSI Journal, Defence Policy, Pacific
Crossing the River by Feeling the Stones: The Trajectory of China's Maritime Transformation
Occasional Papers, 14 October 2019Sidharth Kaushal and Magdalena Markiewicz
This Occasional Paper examines China's maritime strategy by placing its contemporary evolution in context.
Armed Forces, Asia, China, Military Sciences, Occasional Papers, Equipment and Acquisitions, Maritime Forces, Military Personnel, Technology, Pacific
The Evolution of Online Violent Extremism in Indonesia and the Philippines
Other Publications, 10 July 2019Nava Nuraniyah
This paper outlines the evolving use of online platforms by pro-Daesh groups in Indonesia and the Philippines and how this has enabled extremists to develop and strengthen their networks.
Cyber, The Global Research Network on Terrorism and Technology, Other Publications, Terrorism, PacificPages

Developments in China's External Policies under Xi Jinping
Events, 23 January 2017Professor Akio Takahara of Tokyo University will analyse the development of China's external policies under Xi Jinping and discuss how Japan and other countries should deal with it.
China, International Security Studies, Japan, Pacific
The Caliphate Beyond 2016: The View from Southeast Asia
Events, 9 December 2016The Australian Attorney-General Senator the Hon George Brandis QC discussed the Jihadi threat in Southeast Asia and the steps needed to keep the country safe.
Terrorism, Pacific
Gallipoli Memorial Lecture 2016: Is the 21st Century the Asian Century?
Events, 16 November 2016This year’s Gallipoli Memorial Lecture was delivered by His Excellency The Honourable Alexander Downer AC, Australian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom and Senior Associate Fellow, RUSI. Many...
Pacific
A New Dimension of UK-Japan Security Cooperation
Conference, 18 March 2016Building on the momentum generated by last year’s UK-Japan Strategic Dialogue, RUSI is delighted to host another conference that will bring together leading British and Japanese defence and security...
Asia, China, International Security Studies, Third UK-Japan Security Dialogue, Japan, North Korea, Global Security Issues, Pacific
JIIA-RUSI-CSIS Joint Open Seminar on Maritime Security in the East and South China Seas
Events, 14 March 2016In partnership with the Japan Institute for International Affairs (JIIA) and the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), RUSI is delighted to host a half day event on the security...
China, International Security Studies, Japan, PacificPages

"The reunification remains a priority for Beijing, said Veerle Nouwens, a research fellow in the Asia-Pacific region at the Royal United Services Institute, a defense think tank. "China has continued to exercise at sea and in the air in the South China Sea and around Taiwan," Nouwens said. "This is not particularly new but takes place in a wider context of increasing Chinese assertiveness on its borders and in the surrounding region.""
Taiwan conducts major annual military exercise amid rising China tensions
In The News, 16 July 2020 Tags: China, International Security Studies, Pacific
"Taking a "harsh retaliatory stance" could close doors to future investments elsewhere in Europe, said Veerle Nouwens, a research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, a British defense and security think tank. "Irrespective of Chinese grandstanding, we can't forget that China is also still recovering economically from the pandemic. It may therefore feel that the costs of reacting very strongly against the UK may outweigh the benefits of doing so," Nouwens added."
A trade fight with China is the last thing the UK needs
In The News, 16 July 2020 Tags: China, International Security Studies, Pacific
"Technology and social media have proven to be very effective in mobilising protests. This was also the case during the recent protests in Hong Kong. However, China was also very successful in influencing social media and technology companies to undermine the use of technology by protesters and to stifle the international effects of negative press coverage."
Hong Kong: Tech Companies Becoming Mediators in Protests?
In The News, 18 March 2020 Tags: China, Cyber, Technology, Pacific
"“I don’t think he was sharing any shocking insights,” says Kayla Izenman, a research analyst at the Royal United Services Institute in London. “It’s pretty obvious that North Korea knows what they’re doing with cryptocurrency.” According to Izenman’s own research at RUSI’s Centre for Financial Crime and Security Studies, North Korea has successfully used cryptocurrencies as a revenue stream and money laundering tool since at least 2017. "
What North Korea Really Wants From Its Blockchain Conference
In The News, 13 February 2020 Tags: Centre for Financial Crime and Security Studies, Cyber, North Korea, AML/CTF, Technology, Pacific
""Cryptocurrency exploitation is allowing North Korea to transact with the rest of the world in ways that aim to circumvent sanctions designed to curb its proliferation financing," Kayla Izenman, a research analyst who co-authored a paper on the phenomenon, told The Independent last year."
North Korean Hackers Use Telegram to Steal Cryptocurrency
In The News, 10 January 2020 Tags: Centre for Financial Crime and Security Studies, North Korea, AML/CTF, Pacific
International Women’s Day: The Tasks Ahead
Financing Right-Wing Extremism and Terrorism
Diversity in the UK's Intelligence Agencies