North Korea: now what? Now what? Just when we thought things were getting better, North Korea pulled the rug out from under everyone, including itself, by announcing a planned satellite launch to celebrate Great Leader Kim Il-sung's 100th birthday.
What course will Norths new leadership take? Kim Jong-il is dead. This much we pretty well know for sure. This plus the revelation, which should have come as a surprise to no one, that the North Korean people are being called upon to "faithfully revere respectable comrade Kim Jong-un," this t..
North Korea: Here We Go Again! HONOLULU North Korean ``Dear Leader'' Kim Jong-il is a hard person to like; he is an even harder person to ignore. At a time when the rest of the world would prefer to focus its attention elsewhere, the North Korean leader is trying his best to ..
Continuity and Change Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's trip to Asia last month underscored elements of continuity and change in the Obama administration's Asia policy.
Advice on Asia Policy HONOLULU Foreign policy bloggers and pundits are already gushing forth with advice for President-elect Barack Obama. Allow me to add some of my own, at least as far as Asia policy is concerned.
North Korea: Settling for Half a Loaf SEOUL The conventional wisdom is that the Bush administration, in its never-ending face-off with North Korea over its nuclear ambitions, has once again been the first to blink.
Gates Reassures Asia SINGAPORE The United States is a ``resident'' power in Asia that has been and will remain fully engaged in the region, being both supportive of and involved in the development of any regional security architecture.
Revitalizing Alliance HONOLULU The Feb. 25 inauguration of Lee Myung-bak as the Republic of Korea's new president opens the door for a revitalization of the ROK-U.S. alliance, a relationship that has been severely tested and strained in recent years as a result of po..
Taiwans Three-No Policy Koumintang (KMT) candidate Ma Ying-jeou has proclaimed a ``three no's'' policy no unification, no independence, no use of force in outlining his planned approach to cross-Strait relations should he win the March 22 Taiwan presidential electio..
ASEAN Charter: One Step Forward HONOLULU The Association of Southeast Asia Nations (ASEAN) has, in commemoration of its 40th anniversary, adopted its first formal charter, thus conferring ``legal personality" upon this intergovernmental organization, complete with its own flag..
Summit Could Have Been Much Worse ``It could have been worse . . . a lot worse!'' This was my initial reaction to the Oct. 2-4 summit meeting in Pyongyang between South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun and North Korea's ``Dear Leader'' Kim Jong-il!
Denuclearization: So Far, So Good HONOLULU _ Good news from Beijing! The joint declaration from the recently concluded round of six-party talks points to a significant step forward, provided Pyongyang follows through as promised with a significant series of denuclearization steps b..
ASEAN at 40 KUALA LUMPUR _ The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) turned 40 this summer. Is it facing a mid-life crisis? Or, is it on the verge of maturing into a more cohesive, more relevant organization capable of promoting peace and stability no..
Another Nixon Shock? The United States-Japan relationship is on solid ground and growing stronger by the day! As a result of their recent Camp David summit...
Nuclear Deal: Better Late Than Never More than a day later, but not a dollar short. That pretty much sums up what to Pyongyang is a perfectly reasonable negotiating position.
What Was Abe Thinking? HONOLULU - What was he thinking? That is the question most Japan-watchers grappled with following Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo's fumbled questions about the imperial Japanese government's role in recruiting ``comfort women during WWII.
