Publications

In November 2016 CNAS published a report (“Counterbalance: Red Teaming the Rebalance in the Asia-Pacific”) which evaluated the progress the US military has made in shifting its primary focus to Asia. This brief builds on that report and provides recommendations that the US Congress might follow as it helps…chevron_right

This backgrounder 1) traces the origins of the Colombian government’s conflict with the country’s rebels, and 2) identifies what’s needed to sustain the late-2016 peace agreement between the three parties. While exploring these broader points, the...chevron_right

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s ‘bromance’ with China is part of a vacillating pattern. Indeed, since the founding of the Third Republic of the Philippines in 1946, there have been six distinct periods of Sino‐Philippine relations. This article describes each…chevron_right

This bulletin argues that without some kind of compromise between the two largest political groups in the European Parliament (EP), it’s an open question how the 17 January 2017 EP presidential election will turn out. What’s certain is that…chevron_right

This paper reviews the global socio-political situation at the beginning of 2017 and outlines some of the likely developments that will shape the world in the near future. The text’s author unsurprisingly argues that we now live in...chevron_right

This text argues that instead of being a mere factsheet or list of proposed agendas for the future, China’s 2016 Space White Paper actually sets out to establish the country as a space power. However, although the seeming theme of the White Paper is to tie China’s space program to…chevron_right

This paper critically analyzes France’s and Germany’s calls for post-Brexit EU defense policy reform. Given that Britain’s departure from the EU could strain relations among already dissonant European allies, the text’s author calls for...chevron_right

This article contends that 2016 was the deadliest year yet for suicide terrorism. 800 perpetrators killed 5,650 people and injured 9,480 others while carrying out 469 attacks in 28 countries. Unsurpri...chevron_right

When the UN declared that the 1990s was going to be the “Decade of International Law,” optimism spread about the future of world peace. At the same time, a new chapter in transnational law opened up. ...chevron_right

This analysis looks at the various issues that Russia and Belarus have collided over during the last year, including the Eurasian Union’s Customs Code, allotments of oil and gas supplies, the status of the Russian-Belarusian border, the establishment of a Russian military air base in Bobruisk, and…chevron_right

This text focuses on the growing political and military cooperation between Russia and Turkey in Syria. A vital element of this collaboration is the joint plan to introduce a ceasefire in the war-torn country: But are Moscow’s and Ankara’s motives that simple? Not according to…chevron_right

This paper first examines China’s relations with the Central Asia republics and Afghanistan, and then looks at the four challenges it will have to overcome if the region is to become a successful conduit for its Belt and Road Initiative. The challenges include...chevron_right

Well, is the situation truly intractable or is there a way out? As this brief sees it, the likely announcement by Philippine President Duterte that the Scarborough Shoal should become an environmental marine sanctuary that’s off limits to fishermen could…chevron_right

This brief reflects on the broader implications of China’s seizure of an American underwater vehicle on 15 December 2016 in the South China Sea. It specifically lays out the facts of the case and argues that China is being deliberately ambiguous about defining...chevron_right

This article describes the nuts and bolts of Russia’s Foreign Policy Concept (FPC), which was signed by President Vladimir Putin in November 2017. The author suggests that the concept emphasizes close...chevron_right