Analysis

The new iteration of Russia’s national security strategy and the latest Xi-Putin joint statement offer important clues to wedges that can be exploited in Russia’s relationship with China and Japan. On 2nd July, President Putin approved a new iteration of Russia’s national security strategy. The overwhelming focus on preserving the...

What is the best way to fight a pandemic in an era of intense globalization? The answer, clearly, is for humanity to throw its combined resources against its common adversary. Since no one is safe until everyone is safe, the longer it takes for the world’s population to acquire immunity...

Download the Discussion Document as a PDF Executive Summary The launch of the Tianhe module of China’s Tiangong-3 space station was followed by two incidents of note One, immediately after the separation of the module from the core stage, both made close pass to the International Space Station, sparking speculation...

Eye on China is a weekly newsletter that covers China-related developments from an Indian interests perspective. I. Pandemic Diplomacy – The Good, Bad & Ugly Through the week we’ve seen the good, the bad and the ugly dimensions of the India-China relationship. Let’s begin with the good. Beijing continued its...

Download the Discussion Document in PDF Executive Summary This document discusses the evolution of the US’ Indo–Pacific policy following Joe Biden’s victory in November 2020. We argue that Biden has built on his predecessor’s policies, while making substantive and stylistic adjustments. The US’ approach has expanded beyond military partnerships to...

Britain seeks to remain relevant in a world where it sees threats proliferating, while its finances are shrinking The United Kingdom has outlined a vision for its defense and foreign-engagement priorities in its latest Integrated Review and Defense Command Paper. The paradigm of defense reviews in the UK goes back...

China’s imposition of punitive sanctions on EU institutions and individuals over Xinjiang, its attacks on the West’s colonial past when discussing human rights and the recent outburst by Yang Jiechi during the dialogue in Anchorage have all re-ignited discussions over Beijing’s assertive diplomacy. In fact, throughout the past year, there has been much debate...

While there are signs of pragmatism in both Moscow and Tokyo, this last barrier to concluding WW2 remains The Kuril Islands, or the Northern Territories as Japan likes to call them, are at the center of an uneasy relationship between Russia and Japan. The USSR occupied the islands between August...

Zakharova and Shoigu comment on the US’s Pacific Deterrence Initiative Russia’s Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Maria Zakharova have both publicly spoken about the US’s plans to deploy precision strike conventional missiles in the Pacific under the Pacific Deterrence Initiative(PDI).  Zakharova insists that the move will...

The feasibility of a year-around Arctic transshipment route, a longtime dream of Russia, is still unclear Media reports and commentaries are hailing the Russian LNG (liquefied natural gas) carrier Christophe de Margerie’s latest voyage along the Northern Sea Route as a watershed. The voyage has brought Moscow’s dream of year-around access to the...