Dogs of war straining at the leash in East Asia
Current events in the South China Sea have the potential to set off a major conflict
François Godement
Ukraine: the silver lining for China
China could reap a strategic benefit from almost every possible outcome of the Ukraine crisis, and has begun to prepare for all these scenarios
How Abe makes Washington listen
Japanese Prime Minister Abe gives Washington a wakeup call about potential conflict in East Asia, now that immobility is no longer a viable option for dealing with China
Asia: Taking the EU seriously?
All indications are that the European Union is still having a hard time with East Asia. Despite a series of high-profile summits with China, Japan and Korea the EU is struggling to find a common approach
China’s Third Plenum: great expectations
The resolution from the Third Plenum puts the party above all, clearly separating politics from economics. While there is still hope for change, there is overabundant evidence that Mr. Xi’s dream for China does not include the major reform that many hope for
The NSA and Snowden: the boomerang flies on
Edward Snowden may become the most famous civil rights case this century, and throw up issues of data protection, intelligence, and the relationship between partners and allies that concern citizens of all free states
Europe flunks the solar panel test
The debate over whether Chinese solar panels benefit from unfair subsidies is damaging to the EU and its negotiating position. Thanks to changes in the energy market it is the wrong test case for Europe as it deals with Beijing.
Meet China’s hardline new president
Xi Jinping, China's new head of state, is not a reformer but a hardline party loyalist. His first months in de facto power do not point towards a new liberal era in China and his rhetoric evokes a China of the past.
North Korea’s nuclear test: a trigger for regional conflict?
What is the rationale behind North Korea's third nuclear test – and what exactly does it mean for the security of the wider region and the interests of China, the US, Russia and Europe?
War in the Sahel: a European cause
The Mali conflict has caught the EU asleep at the wheel. But with support from across the Union and credible, limited aims, a European intervention in Mali can be successful.