Posts From Robert Matthew Shines
India reinforces regional naval primacy
India has shifted its strategic focus from the army to navy, seeking to counter potential Chinese encirclement and secure maritime energy routes. India has recently emphasized the role that its
Regional powers critical to stability
Today’s international security environment is both vastly fluid and highly dangerous, with multiple threats on several fronts. With the U.S. in relative decline as other states emerge and become more
China may have voted for North Korea sanctions, but this means little for the countries’ relationship
The UN has recently imposed its severest sanctions yet on North Korea in the wake of its recent hydrogen bomb test. However, even while Russia and China both supported the
Possible South Korean THAAD deployment upsets China
Recently, a U.S. proposal to deploy its Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) to South Korea has impacted the security calculations of Northeast Asian countries. The proposal comes in the
Bleak Outlook at Munich Security Conference
Displaying a level of pessimism which surpassed even last year’s conference, attendees at the Munich Security Conference 2016 last week were forced to reckon with the consequences stemming from the
U.S. allies in the South China Sea
Can the U.S. count on its allies in the South China Sea to combat China’s increasing presence in the region? With its artificial island-building, China has transformed the entire South
Two lessons on Asia the U.S. must heed
In determining its rebalance strategy in Asia, the US must learn from Russia’s failure and Australia’s success. Echoing George F. Kennan’s “Long Telegram” with respect to strategic foreign policy, the
What is Russia signalling by circumnavigating Japan?
Russia has circumnavigated Japan, signalling its role as a great power-player in the Asia-Pacific. During the Cuban Missile Crisis over 50 years ago, U.S. Secretary of Defense McNamara was known
Book review: The China challenge: Shaping the Choices of a Rising Power
GRI’s Robert Shines reviews Thomas J. Christensen’s lastest book, “The China Challenge”. Shines argues that holes exist in the author’s main thesis. In “The China Challenge: Shaping The Choices of
Singapore at the center of the Pacific chessboard
The current Russo-Turkish standoff has echoes in the Crimean War and is also a harbinger of Singapore’s role in the Asia-Pacific. Recently, tensions have increased between Russia and Turkey due
