The Diplomat  |  Author

James R. Holmes

James R. Holmes is a defense analyst for The Diplomat and a professor of strategy at the U.S. Naval War College where he specializes in U.S., Chinese and Indian maritime strategy and U.S. diplomatic and military history.

He is co-author of Red Star over the Pacific, an Atlantic Monthly Best Foreign Affairs Book for 2010 and a former US Navy surface warfare officer.

The views voiced here are his alone.

Posts by James R. Holmes
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April 10, 2014

The Anatomy of Peaceful Power Transitions

By James R. Holmes
World War I provides a nice contrast to the violent power transitions of Thucydides’ day.
April 04, 2014

Rome, Carthage and US-China Relations

By James R. Holmes
With all this Thucydidesmania, it’s easy to forget the important lessons the Punic Wars might offer China and the US.

April 01, 2014

Academia Embraces Reality?

By James R. Holmes
Younger academics seem to be more comfortable with pragmatism than their forbearers.

March 28, 2014

Why Russia Yearns for Empire

By James R. Holmes
A primal instinct was behind Russia’s annexation of Crimea, and its one shared by other powers.

March 24, 2014

How Japan Could Turn the Table on China

By James R. Holmes
Although Japan should repent for its crimes against China, so too should the CCP.
March 20, 2014

What Japan and the US Can Learn From March Madness

By James R. Holmes
One can do worse than the basketball metaphor for explaining the Senkaku/Diaoyu Island dispute.

March 17, 2014

How China Strengthens Japan’s Navy

By James R. Holmes
In trying to counter China in the East China Sea, the JMSDF is honing its skills.
March 14, 2014

Of Course the PLA is Planning for a 'Short, Sharp War'

By James R. Holmes
The "revelation" that China's military is planning for a quick war with Japan should shock no one.

March 10, 2014

Taiwan: Why China Backs Russia on Ukraine

By James R. Holmes
By calling for a peaceful solution to the Ukraine crisis, China is hoping that Kiev submits to Russia.

March 08, 2014

Mearsheimer Is Dangerously Optimistic

By James R. Holmes
Mearsheimer’s claim that China’s military power is significantly inferior to the U.S. misses the point.

March 06, 2014

US Strategy in the Second Nuclear Age

By James R. Holmes
America's nuclear triad shouldn't be held sacrosanct just to please advocates in the U.S. Navy and Air Force.
March 01, 2014

Has China Awoken a Sleeping Giant in Japan?

By James R. Holmes
In his dispatch from Tokyo, the Naval Diplomat reports that Japan has given up debating the nature of China’s rise.

Page 7 of 35