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531. China's Rise and the U.S. Army: Leaning Forward

Author:
Russell D. Howard and Albert Willner
Publication Date:
08-2002
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Department of Social Sciences at West Point, United States Military Academy
Abstract:
The United States led war on terrorism has already had a major impact on developing state relationships in Asia. The coalition of convenience that emerged in the aftermath of the September 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon has engendered a change in strategic thinking, perceptions, and influence. A significant shift in any of these three areas could have dramatic implications. For the United States, what is required is not only a reassessment of the new realities but also a strategy to take advantage of new opportunities and cope with potential threats. Perhaps nowhere is this need more apparent, or possible responses more fraught with risk, than in determining the impact of such strategic shifts on the U.S.-China relationship, particularly in the security realm.
Topic:
Security and Defense Policy
Political Geography:
United States, China, and Asia

532. Democratic America in Northeast Asia: U.S. Strategy, Theater Missile Defense, and Allied Defense Relationships

Author:
Sonya L. Finley
Publication Date:
08-2002
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Department of Social Sciences at West Point, United States Military Academy
Abstract:
With the proliferation of ballistic and cruise missiles and weapons of mass destruction (WMD), American political leaders have embarked on a long-term plan for deploying Theater Missile Defense (TMD) as a means to protect the United States, US forces abroad, and allies. Effective on 13 June 2002, the United States is no longer party to the 1972 ABM Treaty and missile defense is a priority with "prominence in policy, funding, and organization." TMD essentially is a family of military weapon systems whose purpose is to intercept hostile missiles that have been launched, whether intentionally or unintentionally. However, the question remains whether Theater Missile Defense is, and will be, an integrated and effective tool in achieving overall US national security goals in Northeast Asia, namely enhancing regional security and reducing the threat of weapons of mass destruction.
Topic:
Security and Defense Policy
Political Geography:
United States, China, America, and Asia

533. The ARF Breaks New Ground

Author:
Brad Glosserman
Publication Date:
08-2002
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Center for Strategic and International Studies
Abstract:
The recent meeting of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), the Asia Pacific's premier track-one security dialogue, has been applauded as a watershed for the institution—and rightly so. The group's pledge to fight international terrorism breathed new life into the forum. But the real significance of this year's meeting is to be found in the substance of those commitments. Implementation of the measures endorsed at this year's get-together would mark a turning point in the ARF, shifting both its focus and its role.
Topic:
Security
Political Geography:
Israel and Asia

534. History 1, Soccer 0

Author:
Allan Song
Publication Date:
07-2002
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Center for Strategic and International Studies
Abstract:
As the World Cup soccer tournament, co-hosted by South Korea and Japan, was beginning, Mr. Aidan Foster-Carter raised the issue of whether the two countries could take advantage of the unprecedented occasion to finally overcome their decades of hostility and forge a truly lasting friendship (“South Korea and Japan: High Time These Neighbors Put Future Before Past,” PacNet No. 22A, June 3, 2002). Although it was an interesting essay, I found the ending odd. He concluded by asking whether South Korea and Japan could finally move forward, but he coyly avoided an answer although it seemed that the answer was obvious to him.
Topic:
Security
Political Geography:
Japan, Israel, Asia, and South Korea

535. U.S.-DPRK: Setting New Ground Rules

Author:
Ralph A. Cossa
Publication Date:
07-2002
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Center for Strategic and International Studies
Abstract:
Will the U.S. and North Korea ever sit down and talk? In all probability, yes! But the odds remain strong that the dialogue, when and if it happens, will largely remain a dialogue of the deaf, especially given the new ground rules recently laid out by Washington.
Topic:
Security and Nuclear Weapons
Political Geography:
Israel and Asia

536. From Dawn to Daylight: Future Challenges for Burma

Author:
Bradley O. Babson
Publication Date:
05-2002
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Center for Strategic and International Studies
Abstract:
The release of Noble Peace Laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest in Rangoon has been greeted with a mixture of relief and apprehension. While skeptics line the gallery, her National League for Democracy (NLD) Party and the ruling State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) have embarked on a phase of dialogue that promises to move from confidence building to policy, and importantly, ethnic minority leaders have been assured that they will participate in this next phase of talks.
Topic:
Security and Nuclear Weapons
Political Geography:
United States, Israel, and Asia

537. Will Hu Really Govern China?

Author:
Jing-dong Yuan and Phillip C. Saunders
Publication Date:
05-2002
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Center for Strategic and International Studies
Abstract:
Chinese Vice President Hu Jintao's first visit to the United States this week has put the spotlight on the upcoming Chinese leadership transition. But will the changeover be a true transfer of power?
Topic:
Security, Democratization, and Development
Political Geography:
Israel and Asia

538. ASEAN Regional Forum Needs the Defense Ministers

Author:
Ron Huisken
Publication Date:
04-2002
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Center for Strategic and International Studies
Abstract:
For most states in the Asia Pacific, multilateralism is the third leg of the stool supporting regional security. For them, the other legs are a dependable U.S. commitment to the region (anchored by its bilateral alliances) and the development of robust bilateral relationships throughout the region.
Topic:
Security and Nuclear Weapons
Political Geography:
United States, Israel, and Asia

539. Pyongyang Gets a Second Chance

Author:
Brent Won-ki Choi and Ray Yep
Publication Date:
03-2002
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Center for Strategic and International Studies
Abstract:
The "Dear Leader" is flirting with Russia these days. For the past few weeks, there have been reports of various engagements between high officials of Pyongyang and Moscow. They range from trifles like Chairman Kim Jong-il's joining Russian officials to celebrate Russia's Maslenitsa festival to seemingly endless dialogue on economic cooperation. In addition to friendly gestures such as inviting a Russian orchestra to the North's prestigious Mansudae Assembly Hall to perform, Konstantin Pulikovski, representative of Russia's Far East, came to discuss a series of economic cooperation projects with the North. Some reports even suggest Chairman Kim is making a habit of visiting Russian Ambassador Andrei Karlov once a week. The latest highlight is the North's proposal that Russia establish a joint nuclear reactor, which Moscow said it would "consider."
Topic:
Security, Democratization, and Development
Political Geography:
Israel, Asia, and Moscow

540. Human Rights and Foreign Policy Discourse in Today's Russia: Romantic Realism and Securitisation of Identity

Author:
Viatcheslav Morozov
Publication Date:
06-2002
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Danish Institute for International Studies
Abstract:
Most people writing on the subject recognise that within the Russian discourse, the concept of human rights is used somewhat differently compared to Western Europe or the United States. However, the nature of these differences is yet to be properly studied. It is not enough just to say that 'the Western notions of human rights undergo certain transformations when transplanted to the Russian soil. At a superficial glance, the post-Soviet notions of human rights are identical [to the Western ones], but upon a more curious consideration their content turns out to be somewhat different' (Chugrov 2001:3). The essentialist concept of 'the Russian soil' as different from the Western one is of little help since it takes cultural differences as given, and thus all the researcher has to do is to register the differences in political practice, while the explanations are known in advance. More sophisticated essentialist approaches do no more than provide labels for the cultural features (e.g. 'nominalism' of the Western culture and 'collectivism' of the East –see Panarin 1999), but are unable to account for the interaction of these two fundamental principles in the Russian political process. As far as foreign policy studies are concerned, there is also the handy realist option of reducing the differences to an assumed national interest, which, of course, in itself is a social construct that is to be studied, and not a conceptual tool for research of other matters.
Topic:
Security, Foreign Policy, Human Rights, and Nationalism
Political Geography:
Russia, Europe, and Asia