Scholars, advocates, and activists seeking to make the U.S. a more responsible global partner.
Asia & Pacific
Korea: The Case for Withdrawal

Korea: The Case for Withdrawal

by | Feb 4, 2013

It’s time for the Obama administration to start withdrawing the American military from Korean soil. Not only would such a move save billions of dollars annually ($15 billion, according to a 2006 article by the Cato Institute’s Doug Bandow) at a time when the cost of maintaining America’s global garrison is coming under increasing scrutiny, but it would shift the impetus for negotiating solutions to the long-running dispute squarely onto the shoulders of the key players in the region.

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Postcard from Tokyo

Postcard from Tokyo

by | Jan 31, 2013

Against a drumbeat of resurgent Japanese militarism, more than 140 Okinawan civic representatives made a historic trip to Tokyo on January 27. This was the first time since Okinawa reverted to Japanese control in 1972 that leaders from every municipality have visited the nation’s capital. And despite the bitter cold, they were met with a warm reception by 4,000 Tokyoites at a rally in Hibiya Park—before coming under assault by angry nationalists .

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The Long Struggle for Moro Autonomy in the Philippines

The Long Struggle for Moro Autonomy in the Philippines

by | Jan 29, 2013

The Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) is a nationalist political organization that has been waging an armed struggle against the Philippine state since its establishment in 1969. MNLF Central Committee member Commander Haji Ibrahim “Bambi,” 67 years old, met the author for an interview in January 2013 at an undisclosed location in Sabah, Malaysia.

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When Soft Power Fails

When Soft Power Fails

by | Jan 22, 2013

Washington has been reluctant to reevaluate “soft power” when it seems so obviously a fig leaf for the assertion of military dominance. But perhaps by looking at the palpable failures of Chinese efforts in Asia, U.S. policymakers could learn some lessons about strategy. Other countries in Asia that aspire to cultivate both hard power and soft power – Japan, South Korea – should also take note: you rarely can have it both ways.

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Four More Years: The Asia Pivot

Four More Years: The Asia Pivot

by | Dec 26, 2012

The United States is a Pacific power, but Asia is a very different place than it was two hundred years ago. You can’t dispatch “Chinese” Gordon and a couple of gunboats and get your way anymore. Nor can you deal with rivals by building Cold War-style alliances and threatening to use force. The world is too small, Asia is too big, and war would be catastrophic. The Pacific is no one’s “lake,” but an ocean vast enough for all.

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