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Flashpoints
Will China’s military rival the United States’ in the Pacific? Will Japan abandon the constitutional fetters on its own military? How will India respond to the String of Pearls strategy? The Diplomat has put together a team of leading analysts to offer must-read, regular commentary on the big defense and security issues in the Asia-Pacific.
What Lies Ahead for South Korea’s Strategic Diversification Efforts?
By Robert Farley
South Korean divestment from China is precisely what the Trump administration would like to see.
Is China Pulling Off Its Own ’Offset’ Strategy?
By Robert Farley
If China has an offset strategy of its own, what’s it about?
Russian Official: Nuclear Sub Fire Could Have 'Led to Catastrophe of Global Proportions'
By Franz-Stefan Gady
A fire in a deep-water research submersible could have caused a global catastrophe, according to a senior Russian Navy official.
A New Normal: Chinese Navy Warship Monitors Talisman Sabre Exercises—Again
By Ankit Panda
China continues to apply a double standard to EEZ surveillance.
Russia-India-China Trilateral Grouping: More Than Hype?
By Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan
A closer look at the development of the mechanism and the drivers behind it.
Imagining a Nuclear War With North Korea: The 2020 Commission, Misperception, and Trump
By Robert Farley
Jeffrey Lewis' 2020 Commission holds important lessons for how Trump's diplomacy with North Korea could go south.
Japan's Biggest Warship Offers Clue to Military Ambitions
By Emily Wang
Japan is preparing to reconfigure the Izumo to accommodate U.S. stealth fighters, including F-35Bs.
The Future of the Asian Order Will Be Decided in Space
By Peter Garretson
Space resources could determine which country winds up dominating the 21st century.
The PLARF’s New Hainan Island Base and China’s Recent Anti-Ship Ballistic Missile Tests
By Ankit Panda
The first-known Chinese tests of an anti-ship ballistic missile into the South China Sea may have inaugurated a new PLARF base.
Fire Kills 14 Sailors on Secretive Russian Navy Submarine
By Franz-Stefan Gady
The accident may have occurred on one of the Russian Navy’s secretive “special projects” spy subs on July 1.
Did China Start Testing Anti-Ship Ballistic Missiles Into the South China Sea?
By Ankit Panda
The tests would mark the first activity of their kind in the South China Sea.
US Navy Deploys Littoral Combat Ship to Indo-Pacific Region For First Time Since 2016
By Franz-Stefan Gady
The Independence-class USS Montgomery made a port call in the Philippines on June 29.