East Asia

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Prevention and Peacebuilding, Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies

The New Silk Roads

On February 15, 1989, when General Boris Gromov followed the last Soviet troops out of Afghanistan over the Friendship Bridge to Uzbekistan, the Pudong district east of the Huangpu river in Shanghai was undeveloped farmland. Once the Soviet troops left, China − which had cooperated with the U.S., Pakistan and Saudi Arabia in supplying arms to the anti-Soviet resistance − turned inward to focus on development. As part of that effort, in 1990 Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping declared “Shanghai is our trump card,” ordering the development of Pudong.

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Oct 07, 2015
Barnett Rubin, Thomas Zimmerman
China, East Asia, South Asia
India, Pakistan, South Asia
Afghanistan-Pakistan Regional Project

Testing Indonesia’s commitment to UN peacekeeping

Indonesia is committed to becoming one of the top ten countries contributing to UN peace operations. With its Roadmap Vision 4,000 Peacekeepers, Jakarta aims to dramatically increase the 2,724 peacekeepers now deployed in ten UN missions by 2019.

Compared to 2014, this would be a doubling of troops deployed in only five years. This is a noble and ambitious goal of international good citizenship, but what will be the challenges on this journey?

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Jul 07, 2015
East Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa
Prevention and Peacebuilding
United Nations

UN Peacekeeping: A Focus for Japanese Cooperation with the United States and Europe?

Japan, European countries, and the United States have a common interest in boosting United Nations peace operations. Japan has been a prominent supporter of a U.S. initiative to encourage participation in peacekeeping operations, but to date, Tokyo’s follow-up has been constructive but limited. For Tokyo and its allies, ensuring that the UN can handle today’s ugly crises is an unavoidable task.

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Apr 03, 2015
Richard Gowan
East Asia, Europe, United States
United Nations
Prevention and Peacebuilding

Big-Power ‘Buffering’ Mechanisms Needed to Manage Era of Disorder

There were signs of easing tensions in some parts of the international system last week, but warnings of deepening crises on other fronts.

Read the full World Politics Review article Big-Power ‘Buffering’ Mechanisms Needed to Manage Era of Disorder

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Nov 12, 2014
Richard Gowan
China, East Asia, Europe, Middle East, United States
Prevention and Peacebuilding
Crises, Transnational Threats, United Nations

Security council ties that bind

The pragmatic approach and active diplomacy of Australia’s UN ambassador are paying huge dividends in the wake of MH17.

Read the full The Saturday Paper article here

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Jul 26, 2014
Richard Gowan
East Asia, Europe
Prevention and Peacebuilding
Crises, United Nations

The US and the international power structure: Reviewing 'Still Ours to Lead'

In Still Ours to Lead: America, Rising Powers, and the Tension Between Rivalry and Restraint, Brookings Senior Fellow and my CIC colleague Bruce Jones sets out a compelling analysis of the present global power structure.

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Jun 19, 2014
China, East Asia, Europe, Brazil, United States, South Asia
Emerging Powers, International Security

A Tough Week for Obama in Asia

United States President Barack Obama kicks off a visit to Japan, South Korea, Malaysia and the Philippines today, during which he'll seek to convey strong US support for allies and commitment to the Asia Pacific without derailing the US-China relationship.

Read the full Real Clear World article A Tough Week for Obama in Asia

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Apr 23, 2014
East Asia
South Asia

Still Ours to Lead

America, Rising Powers, and the Tension between Rivalry and Restraint

"What’s become clear to me is that while the rising powers--principally China, India, Brazil, but also Turkey, Indonesia, Korea and others--want to increase their influence and protect their interests, the United States still occupies a central place in their thinking and their strategies. And only the U.S. can help all these players forge an effective international order." —Bruce Jones

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Mar 17, 2014
Bruce Jones
China, East Asia, Europe, Brazil, United States
Emerging Powers, International Security

Why Europe can’t leave Asia to the US

Can Europeans safely ignore rising tensions in the Asia-Pacific? Many in Europe now argue that, in the context of economic crisis and the US “pivot” to Asia, the European Union’s beleaguered member states should narrow their strategic focus to their troubled neighbourhood.

Read the full ECFR article here.

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Jan 14, 2014
Richard Gowan
East Asia, Europe, South Asia
Prevention and Peacebuilding

European Hard Power Hit by Eurozone Crisis

In this exclusive interview with ECSSR Website Richard Gowan, talks about a range of issues related to conflict prevention and resolution. Gowan also sheds light on the progress on United Nations reforms, EU’s peacekeeping ambitions, ongoing conflict in Syria and possibilities of conflagration in the Korean peninsula. The interview was conducted on the sidelines of ECSSR’s 18th Annual Conference – The Future Warfare in the 21st Century.

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Apr 15, 2013
Richard Gowan
East Asia, Europe, Middle East, Syria
Prevention and Peacebuilding
United Nations

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