NATO

Nothing can substitute Japan’s collective defense with the United States, but working with a multilateral bloc such as NATO is an important effort to bolster deterrence. 

NATO’s drift into the Asia-Pacific could only heighten tensions in an already fraught regional environment. 

The Sino-Russian strategic relationship partly led to NATO's creation, but Western leaders should avoid conflating ideological issues with strategic problems.

China sees NATO as an important component of U.S.-led “bloc confrontation” – which it views as a strategy of weaving webs of international coalitions to contain China’s rise.

Insights from Mirna Galic. 

Sergei Shoigu also accused NATO of trying to expand its footprint in the Asia-Pacific under the pretense of seeking dialogue and collaboration with regional countries.

No matter where you stand, at least get the facts straight.

Yoon Suk-yeol will attend the annual NATO summit being held this year in Vilnius, Lithuania, on July 11-12 as part of a two-nation trip that includes a stop in Poland.

Speculations surrounding the impact of the proposed NATO office in Tokyo are wildly overhyped.

Beijing is trying to drive a wedge between the U.S. and Europe, hedging against an unlikely but possible Russian military collapse. 

Japan may not be located in the North Atlantic, but it and NATO are natural partners with increasingly overlapping interests and with much to offer each other. 

Despite, or rather because of, the Russia-Ukraine War, the West finally appears willing to take on the challenge of a rising China – perhaps even in the Indo-Pacific.

Democracies on the edge in Southeast Asia likely face difficult choices in the years to come.

Two months after the Taliban takeover became a reality, interpreters who worked for Turkish forces are still in Afghanistan with no clear exit plan.

After NATO withdrawals, Ankara may continue to provide security for Hamid Karzai International Airport, but only if certain conditions are met.

In its relations with NATO, New Delhi will strive to eat the Chinese cake and keep the Russian one.

"Our presence in Afghanistan is conditions based, and Taliban has to meet their commitments," NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said.

But despite the surge in violence, and deep uncertainty caused by the U.S. drawdown, the peace agreement appears to be an opportunity too good for NATO to miss.

Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer imagines a larger role for her country in the region, though in prudent terms.

With Japan, the administration stands to damage relations at precisely the wrong time.

Insights from Ian Brzezinski

NATO needs a coordinated and comprehensive strategy to deal with an ever-more confident China.

Insights from Mariusz Rukat.

Insights from Mariusz Rukat.