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Security in the Asia-Pacific: Japan’s Options Amid U.S.-Chinese Tensions
The first arms control conference in history was held in Washington D.C. a hundred years ago. The Washington Naval Conference focused on the naval capabilities of major actors in the Pacific Ocean and resulted in the Washington Naval Treaty. Signed into law in 1922 by the United States, United Kingdom, France, Italy, and Japan, the treaty limited the construction of new warships and bases in the Pacific. However, within a decade and a half, the treaty had fallen apart as the world hurtled toward a new great war. While East Asia has fundamentally changed over the course of the last century, international treaties continue to play a vital role in maintaining peace and security. For Japan, crafting an effective regional engagement, particularly against the backdrop of heightened tensions between the U.S. and China, means renewing and reaffirming existing partnerships in East Asia and beyond.
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Women’s Rights in China and Feminism on Chinese Social Media
In recent years, women in China have to a greater extent than previously raised their voices about issues relating to women’s rights and gender equality. Social media has served as an important tool and venue for women to share their own experiences with sexual harassment, domestic violence, and gender discrimination in the labor market. Yet, while the feminist movement has been on the rise over the past ten years, feminists and women in China who speak up about gender-related issues nevertheless face threats, antagonism, and censorship online. China has stated that it aims to empower women and protect their rights. However, activities and discourses that have the potential to disturb the existing social order or challenge the authorities are not tolerated by the government, as social stability is one of its top priorities. This paper addresses how women and feminists in China use social media to speak up, while at the same time having to cope with gender antagonism in Chinese society and monitoring efforts by the government.
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On the Path to Civil War: Beijing Navigates Post-Coup Myanmar
Protests against the military’s February 1 coup d’état continue in Myanmar. Heavy-handed repression has since persisted, and while it has drawn widespread international condemnation and unilateral sanctions, there is still no joint United Nations Security Council (UNSC) action. China, alongside Russia and several of Myanmar’s neighbors, continues to insist on non-interference in Myanmar’s internal affairs, supporting ASEAN’s mediation efforts while expressing concern over the escalating violence. As Naypyidaw’s main trade partner and arms supplier, Beijing holds a prominent position in Myanmar. Nevertheless, the developing instability is on the verge of turning Myanmar into a failed state, with ethnic separatist groups siding with the protestors against the coup regime. Beijing’s position of non-interference is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain, both internationally and within Myanmar.
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The EU and PRC Exchange Sanctions
For the first time since the crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators in Beijing in 1989, the European Union has decided to impose significant restrictive measures on Chinese officials. The Chinese government has reacted angrily, rejecting allegations of abuses as “lies and slander” and publishing a list of European officials, institutions, and scholars slated for sanctions of its own. This latest blow to Sino-European relations comes at a complicated time. Calls to take a stronger stance on the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) authoritarian tendencies have been mounting, even as geo-political rivalry between the United States and China is intensifying. A long-anticipated investment deal between China and the EU, the creatively named Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI), that was agreed to in principle at the end of last year may now unravel as tension grows. While some may have been surprised by the vehemence with which Beijing reacted to the sanctions, the episode exposes some of the underlying strain in Sino-European relations.
Latest Publications
Security in the Asia-Pacific: Japan’s Options Amid U.S.-Chinese Tensions
Abstract The first arms control conference in history was held in Washington D.C. a hundred years ago. The Washington Naval Conference focused on the naval capabilities of major actors in […]
Women’s Rights in China and Feminism on Chinese Social Media
Abstract In recent years, women in China have to a greater extent than previously raised their voices about issues relating to women’s rights and gender equality. Social media has served […]
South China Sea Efforts Enhanced
Introduction The consultation process for the Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea started in 2013. The COC is considered an upgraded version of the Declaration on Conduct […]
- The Usual Suspects: The HDP Closure Case and Erdoğan’s Growing Desperation by Gareth Jenkins
- The Non-ending of Miseries of Workers under AKP rule by Barış Soydan
- The Boğaziçi Protests and the Politics of Fear by Gareth Jenkins
- In the Grip of the State: Can Turkey’s Democrats Surmount State Nationalism? by Oya Baydar
Books
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Korea – en civilisation i kläm
Korea är en civilisation som lätt förbises vid jämförelser med Kina och Japan. Men den koreanska kulturen är unik och har haft stort inflytande på sin omvärld. Tryckkonsten med lösa, […]
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Uzbekistan’s New Face
Uzbekistan, long considered the center of Central Asia, has the region’s largest population and borders every other regional state including Afghanistan. For the first 25 years of its independence, it […]
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The Long Game on the Silk Road: U.S. and EU Strategy for Central Asia and the Caucasus
This book argues that American and European policies toward Central Asia and the Caucasus suffer from both conceptual and structural impediments. It traces the framework of Western policies to the […]
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Why Turkey is Authoritarian: From Atatürk to Erdogan
For the last century, the Western world has regarded Turkey as a pivotal case of the ‘clash of civilisations’ between Islam and the West. Why Turkey is Authoritarian offers a […]
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The International Politics of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Conflict
This book frames the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh in the context of European and international security. It is the first book to focus on the politics of the conflict rather […]