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ASIA & THE PACIFIC

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Asia & the Pacific

American Power and the Defense of Taiwan by Matt Salmon and Shay Stautz. Foreign Policy Research Institute, March 9, 2023.
American officials are increasingly concerned about China’s growing power and assertiveness. While spy balloons over the continental United States may be the current crisis, Washington should stay focused on the most likely flashpoint in the bilateral relationship: the possibility of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan.

Australia-China Relations: The Outlook for 2023 by Corey Lee Bell and Elena Collinson. The Diplomat, December 22, 2022.
Despite the current détente, five major issues may place a further strain on the Australia-China relationship next year.

Indonesia’s Islamic Peace Diplomacy: Crafting a Role Model for Moderate Islam by Amanda tho Seeth (née Kovacs). German Institute for Global and Area Studies, 2023.
Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation, is continuously increasing its Islamic diplomacy portfolio. A central element herein is the deployment of a moderate Islam discourse for global peace. In doing so, the country seeks to weaken Arab dominance within Islamic discourse and rebrand itself as a progressive role model for the Islamic world.

Is ASEAN on the cusp of fulfilling its long-held promise? By Joo-Ok Lee. World Economic Forum, January 16, 2023.
In the more than half century since its founding, ASEAN has historically been a relatively ‘quiet’ trading bloc. Signs suggest, however, that this is changing. Rarely was there a month during 2022 when ASEAN wasn’t in the news, and it was a year in which it hosted not one but three global leadership summits – the ASEAN/East Asia Summit in Phnom Penh, the G20 Summit in Bali and APEC Economic Leaders Meeting in Bangkok.

Japan’s Long-Awaited Return to Geopolitics by Jeffrey W. Hornung. Foreign Policy, February 6, 2023.
Russia’s war in Ukraine, which marks the return of naked World War II-style aggression to Europe, is surely another such inflection point. But there is a second, less-noticed shift taking place right now that has at least as much power to alter history: the return of Japan as a major geopolitical actor.

South Korea’s Indo-Pacific strategy broadens the focus from the northern threat by Colin Clark. Breaking Defense, January 6, 2023.
South Korea has made a strategic commitment to engage with Japan, the United States, and other like-minded states in working to promote something akin to a “Free and Open Indo-Pacific” as a key component of its first Indo-Pacific strategy, an important shift towards Seoul becoming more of a regional player, analysts tell Breaking Defense.

What to Watch in 2023: India’s Pivotal Year on the Global Stage by Sameer P. Lalwani, Daniel Markey, Tamanna Salikuddin, and Vikram J. Singh. United States Institute of Peace, February 8, 2023.
One month into 2023, India is well underway, with preparations for a pivotal year. In the coming 11 months, India is expected to surpass China as the world’s most populous nation (and by some estimates already has), and to continue on a trajectory of rapid economic growth.