Experts from the U.S. Institute of Peace provide the latest analysis and perspective on the world’s critical hot spots, U.S. and global security and issues involved in violent conflict, based on the Institute’s work on the ground and with key individuals, governments and organizations. They give interviews and background briefings to journalists and write for news outlets around the world.
U.S. President Joe Biden assured his Philippine counterpart Monday of the the United States' commitment to the Southeast Asian archipelago as tensions rise with China. "The United States also remains ironclad in our commitment to the defense of the Philippines, including in the South China Sea, and we will continue...
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is expected Monday to press President Biden on U.S. commitments to defend the island nation and bolster economic alliances as China flexes its muscle on his doorstep in the South China Sea. The White House invited Mr. Marcos for bilateral meetings...
Six months after US President Joe Biden hosted over a dozen Pacific leaders and envoys at the White House and pledged generous funding, experts say the region is carefully watching for the follow-through as Congress haggles over slashing foreign aid. Announced in September, the Pacific Partnership Strategy – intended to...
China represents the world's number one challenge of the 21st century. That warning comes from the head of America's Office of Naval Intelligence as the Communist nation builds its military might across the Pacific. The tiny island of Taiwan finds itself in Beijing's crosshairs with continued signs of a possible...
The U.S. military plans to install over-the-horizon radar in Palau by 2026, adding to its early-warning capabilities for the western Pacific as China’s military strength increases. The Department of Defense awarded a U.S.$120 million contract in late December for construction of reinforced foundations and pads in Palau for...
The Biden administration is continuing to push Cambodia for more transparency about China’s access to a naval base on the Gulf of Thailand after U.S. officials warned this year that both nations were taking extraordinary measures to conceal their involvement in the project. For months, Cambodian officials have insisted to their U.S. counterparts that Ream Naval Base will be accessible for multiple nations, not just the Chinese, even while...
The US strategy to strengthen ties with Pacific nations is expected to go some way in helping the region tackle its challenges even as the support may appear modest compared to China’s, analysts said, but any efforts to undertake defence cooperation would be less welcomed. Last month, after hosting a summit with...
USIP's Brian Harding on "The Briefing with Steve Scully"
The United States unveiled its first-ever strategy for ties with Pacific island countries on Thursday, the second day of a summit with leaders from the region, pledging a long-term partnership that will see Washington ramp up diplomatic, economic and security cooperation with these nations amid...
Amid tensions with Beijing over Taiwan and a growing China-Russia nexus in the Pacific, Washington's offer of big dollar assistance seems to have helped the U.S. avert a major diplomatic embarrassment in its first-of-a-kind initiative to engage with Pacific Island nations and thwart Chinese plans for...