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Pacific
Re-Examining the UK’s Priorities in the Asia-Pacific Region
Commentary, 17 March 2020
Veerle 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.
Tags: International Security Studies, UK Integrated Review 2021, UK, Pacific
Project Sandstone Report 6: The Phantom Fleet: North Korea’s Smugglers in Chinese Waters
Other Publications, 5 March 2020
James Byrne, Joe Byrne, Gary Somerville and Hamish Macdonald
A large fleet of North Korean cargo ships continues to deliver coal to China in contravention of UN Security Council resolutions, in what appears to be a large-scale, coordinated effort to evade sanctions imposed on the country over its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes.
Tags: Project Sandstone, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, North Korea, Global Security Issues, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Pacific
What North Korea Is not Telling Us about Denuclearisation in 2020
Commentary, 2 March 2020
Cristina 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.
Tags: Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, North Korea, Global Security Issues, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, 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
Foresight 2020: The Challenges Facing China
RUSI Journal, 11 February 2020
Charles Parton
The Chinese Communist Party is facing an increasingly challenging domestic and international environment.
Tags: China, 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, PacificPages
Doklam Plateau: A Challenge to China’s Great Power Ambitions?
Commentary, 25 August 2017Amrita Jash
Will China's face off with India over the Doklam Plateau put a dent in Beijing's bid to be seen as a responsible world power?
China, India, Pacific, Central and South Asia
ROKing the Boat: US Nuclear Weapons in South Korea?
Commentary, 22 August 2017Emil Dall and Cristina Varriale
South Korea’s main opposition party has called for the reintroduction of US nuclear weapons on the peninsula. This is just posturing and not a good idea, but could reopen a debate in South Korea about the credibility of Washington’s security guarantees.
Defence, Industries and Society, North Korea, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Pacific
Robust International Peacekeeping: Is Asia Up to the Task?
Commentary, 17 August 2017Ewan Lawson and Veerle Nouwens
A political dispute in Japan over an alleged cover-up in a UN peacekeeping operation in South Sudan highlights a bigger regional problem with international operations that are no longer about maintaining, but more about imposing, peace.
United Nations, Japan, International Institutions, Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding, Pacific
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, PacificPages
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
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, 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
Countering Proliferation Finance: Implementation Guide and Model Law for Governments
Other Publications, 21 July 2017Andrea Berger and Anagha Joshi
This is the second of two guidance papers produced by RUSI on countering proliferation finance. It aims to assist governments seeking to strengthen their legal and institutional frameworks to counter...
Centre for Financial Crime and Security Studies, Counter-Proliferation Finance, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, United Nations, North Korea, Other Publications, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, PacificPages
"A crisis looms, with potentially far more serious economic, social and political consequences than demographics, debt and deleveraging. So why is water scarcity not a central feature of studies of China’s economic outlook? "
China’s acute water shortage imperils economic future
In The News, 27 February 2018 Tags: China, Pacific
"Justin Bronk, a military expert at the Royal United Services Institute, told Business Insider that North Korea's mystery missiles looked "enormously like Iskander missiles" and were not ones that North Korea had "been seen with before."Bronk pointed out that Russia has a history of helping North Korea with its missile program. Talented engineers left unemployed after the collapse of the Soviet Union and often found good-paying work in North Korea, Bronk said."
A mystery missile at North Korea's military parade should make the US worried
In The News, 8 February 2018 Tags: Aerospace, Military Sciences, North Korea, Pacific
"“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, International Security Studies, Pakistan, Global Security Issues, Pacific, Central and South Asia
International Women’s Day: The Tasks Ahead
Financing Right-Wing Extremism and Terrorism
Diversity in the UK's Intelligence Agencies