Indo-Pacific

China Teaches Something in Quake

By Frederick Kempe

Natural disasters have political consequences. If George W. Bush had handled the Hurricane Katrina aftermath in 2005 as well as China’s leadership thus far has reacted to its far more deadly earthquake, he would be more popular and could have finished his second term with greater achievements on other fronts. Tempting as it is to […]

Perspectives on peace and security in Korea and Northeast Asia

The Atlantic Council of the United States published a report entitled A Framework for Peace and Security in Korea and Northeast Asia in April 2007. The report was the culmination of deliberations of a working group of distinguished American scholars and practitioners with a wide range of experience on Korea and Northeast Asia and chaired […]

Afghanistan Spins Out of Control, U.S. Fiddles

By Frederick Kempe

NATO is winning most battles in Afghanistan, but the international community is losing the war.That has consequences far beyond Afghanistan if the U.S., Europe and its friends don’t change course fast. The dangers include deepening of regional instability that engulfs nuclear- tipped Pakistan, spreading global terrorism and the declining relevance of the North Atlantic Treaty […]

Saving Afghanistan: An Appeal and Plan for Urgent Action

Make no mistake, the international community is not winning in Afghanistan. Unless this reality is understood and action is taken promptly, the future of Afghanistan is bleak, with regional and global impact. The purpose of this paper is to sound the alarm and to propose specific actions that must be taken now if Afghanistan is […]

Bhutto Killing Breeds a Failing Nuclear State

By Frederick Kempe

Two months ago I suggested that, amid the Bush administration’s focus on Iraq’s present dangers and Iran’s future perils, Pakistan was most likely to produce a so- called black-swan event.

Pakistan Gets My Vote for a Black Swan Event

By Frederick Kempe

Washington is obsessed with the war in Iraq, the danger of Turkish troops clashing with Kurdish militants and President George W. Bush’s possible showdown with Iran over its nuclear weapons ambitions.

Korea and Northeast Asia peace and security framework

The United States has few more important policy goals than eliminating North Korea’s nuclear weapons program. The risk that the repressive Pyongyang regime could transfer nuclear weapons and materials to rogue states or terrorist groups weighs particularly heavy on the minds of U.S. policymakers. Executive Summary U.S. negotiators in February 2007 achieved a breakthrough in […]

China’s rise and US influence in Asia

Following the publication of his most recent book, China’s Rise in Asia: Promises and Perils, Dr. Robert Sutter embarked on a research trip in spring-summer 2006 which involved dozens of workshops to explore China’s rise and U.S. leadership in Asia. These workshops were attended by several hundred non-government specialists and elites in 21 cities of […]