Russia
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Free and Open Indo-Pacific/FOIP
Aging ships deliver sanctioned oil on shadowy missions
FORUM Staff A deadly explosion aboard the tanker ship Pablo has illuminated the growing “dark fleet” of older vessels that transports sanctioned crude oil and refined products such as diesel and jet fuel. The first of what has swelled to more than 600 such ships, many of them years past their prime, began ferrying the cargo when Western nations banned…
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Conflicts - Tensions
Bangladesh shifts position, calls Ukraine war a ‘violation of international law’
Benar News Formerly noncommittal Bangladesh has proclaimed the Ukraine war violates international law and the United Nations charter. The South Asian nation revised its position in a joint statement with Japan issued during Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s visit to Tokyo in late April 2023. (Pictured: Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, left, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida shake hands…
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Conflicts - Tensions
Russian support for Myanmar junta ‘destabilizing’ Southeast Asia, U.S envoy says
Reuters Russia’s backing for Myanmar’s military rulers is unacceptable and destabilizing, with Moscow’s supply of weapons helping to fuel a conflict that has become a catastrophe for the Southeast Asian country, a top United States official said in March 2023. The U.S. is concerned about the wider impact of the escalating crisis in Myanmar since a coup in February 2021…
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Conflicts - Tensions
Japan unveils biggest military build-up since World War II
Reuters Japan has announced a U.S. $320 billion plan to buy missiles capable of striking the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and North Korea, and ready the nation for sustained conflict as regional tensions and Russia’s Ukraine invasion stoke war fears. The sweeping, five-year plan unveiled in mid-December 2022 will make Japan the world’s third-biggest military spender after the United…
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Conflicts - Tensions
PRC proves yet again that its ‘friendships’ have limits
FORUM Staff The People’s Republic of China (PRC) years ago promised Ukraine and the United Nations it would act against any countries that used or threatened to use nuclear weapons against Ukraine. Collaboration between the PRC and Russia, however, flies in the face of that commitment and calls into question other international commitments made by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).…
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Asymmetric Threats
Integrated Deterrence
Rethinking the strategic approach to counter the PRC’s gray-zone operations
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Key Issues
North Korea’s missile brinkmanship denounced
FORUM Staff Like-minded nations worldwide have condemned North Korea’s unprecedented number of missile test launches in 2022, with many countries expressing disapproval before the United Nations Security Council and calling out permanent members Russia and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) for not strengthening sanctions that might end the tests. Nations also question how, despite longstanding prohibitions, Pyongyang has acquired…
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Conflicts - Tensions
Anti-satellite threat looms over Indo-Pacific
Tom Abke With Indo-Pacific countries increasingly reliant on satellites for communications and military purposes, the threat of anti-satellite (ASAT) weapons is becoming more acute in the region, according to defense and space technology experts. Excluding the People’s Republic of China (PRC), countries in the region have more than 230 satellites in orbit, employed in functions critical to communications, banking, GPS…
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Northeast Asia
South Korea, NATO discuss countering unconventional weapons amid Russia’s nuclear threats
Felix Kim Amid concerns that Russia could resort to using nuclear or chemical weapons in its stalled invasion of Ukraine, as well as worries over the ongoing threat posed by North Korea, NATO and South Korean officials in September 2022 discussed strengthening efforts to contain chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) risks. NATO is “working closely with our partners to…
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Conflicts - Tensions
Russia’s war on Ukraine triggers global market disruptions as uncertainty around Kremlin’s nuclear threats increases
FORUM Staff Russia’s unprovoked war on Ukraine has spurred additional disruptions to a worldwide supply chain still hampered by a global pandemic. And the Kremlin’s threat of using nuclear weapons could exacerbate the situation. “Disruptions caused by [Russia’s] invasion of Ukraine, the ensuing economic sanctions on Russia and its potential retaliation have severely affected global markets,” according to an August…
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