November - December 2024

The Asan Forum > Topics of the Month

Topics of the Month

Select the date
May 18, 2015 Topics of the Month
The Impact of Xi Jinping’s Governance of China – Ⅲ

Xi Jinping’s latest book, The Governance of China, is popping up in odd places. It was prominently displayed on Facebook-founder Mark Zuckerberg’s desk when he entertained China’s Internet […]

William A. Callahan

China Dream, Personality Cult, Two Centenary Goals
March 2, 2015 Topics of the Month
The Negative Soft Power of the China Dream – II

As Ming Wan writes in his commentary in The Asan Forum on the “China Dream,” Chinese leaders use New Year’s celebrations as an opportunity to sum up the […]

William A. Callahan

Anti-Japaneseism, China Dream, nationalism, negative soft power
January 16, 2015 Topics of the Month
Comparative Southeast Asian Military Modernization – III

Maritime Balance in the South China Sea: Submarines in Southeast Asia In recent years, Southeast Asian countries have pursued the acquisition of submarines with increasing vigor. Currently, four […]

Felix K. Chang

defense community, military cooperation
December 8, 2014 Topics of the Month
Comparative Southeast Asian Military Modernization – II

Regional Leadership through Strength?: Indonesian Foreign and Security Policies in Southeast Asia With the enthusiasm surrounding the election of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, some have again speculated as […]

Felix K. Chang

maritime interests, mediator, militarization, South China Sea
December 8, 2014 Topics of the Month
China Dream – 1

What Can the China Dream “Do” in the PRC?   Since Xi Jinping chose “The China Dream” (中国梦) as his signature slogan in late 2012, much has been […]

William A. Callahan

China Dream, Chinese civilization, pessoptimistic nationalism, Road to Rejuvenation, socialism, values crisis
December 2, 2014 Topics of the Month
Civilizational Divides and Regional Confrontations – 4

Reading Kazuhiko Togo’s powerful piece on the dilemmas of Japan, one feels in a time warp. The echo of the 19th century’s choice of modernization with the adoption […]

François Godement

Authoritarian state capitalism, Crimea, defense spending, embattled twentieth century, strategic balance
November 9, 2014 Topics of the Month
Civilizational Divides and Regional Confrontations – 3

Both Gilbert Rozman and Francois Godement’s articles are stimulating and instructive, and it is a pleasure for me to follow up the debate. Issues raised by Rozman are […]

Kazuhiko Togo

deterrence, dialogue, Japanese identity, Japanese-Europe dialogue, Russian identity, Ukraine civilization
October 21, 2014 Topics of the Month
Japanese Politics Concerning Collective Self-Defense – 3

This article is available in hardcopy & eBook format at the following site: http://www.palgrave.com/kr/book/9781137541703

Hosoya Yuichi*

October 1, 2014 Topics of the Month
Comparative Southeast Asian Military Modernization – 1

Southeast Asia’s military modernization over the last half decade has been impressive. Defense expenditures across the region have risen, on average, by nine percent each year since 2009, […]

Felix K. Chang

Arms sales, code of conduct, defense expenditures, Indonesia, long-term commitment, Malaysia, maritime interests, Philippines, territorial ambitions, Vietnam
September 29, 2014 Topics of the Month
Civilizational Divides and Regional Confrontations – 1

To start this exchange, Gilbert Rozman wrote a meditative piece on the dangers of civilizational “pull” for Japan and France were they to respond with some complacency toward […]

François Godement

civilizational debates, cultural inward-thinking, France, Putinism, Sino-Russian quasi-alliance, strategic gambles, Ukraine