A Forbidden Zone of “No Limits” Friendship: Possibilities and Constraints in Sino-Russia Intelligence Cooperation
The history of Sino-Russian relations of the past century is that of mutual distrust, suspicion, and deception.
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Japan
Allies Help Those Who Help Themselves: How Estonia and Japan Approach Deterrence
Up until the blatant act of Russian aggression in Ukraine in 2022, the West had been gradually shifting its attention towards East Asia, with China seen as the primary challenge of the first half of the 21st century. The new context requires a thorough reassessment of international security architecture by all national stakeholders. This, in turn, offers Estonia and Japan the opportunity to enrich their security perspectives on common strategic threats, as well as on broader geopolitical shifts caused by Russia and China.
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Europe’s Indo-Pacific Tilt: Estonian and Japanese Interests
Reshaped by the new great power competition, the international order has been undergoing revolutionary transformations. Revanchist Russia has unleashed a barbarian war against a sovereign European nation, while increasingly militarised and contentious China looms as a not-so-insidious threat in the Indo-Pacific. In response to these shifting dynamics and mounting geopolitical tensions, Europe is now awakening to the new reality and paying greater attention to the far-away region.
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China-Russia Alliance – Lessons from Japan’s Failed “Detachment” Strategy
After the Ukraine crisis, Moscow has learnt that narratives on a potent “China-Russia alliance” can be weaponised to influence the decision-making of its targets and leverage concessions from countries alarmed by China’s rise. Thus, this narrative has been often purposefully advanced by Vladimir Putin and instrumentalised by agents of influence, such as those of the Valdai Discussion Club, as a pretext to return to “business as usual” with Moscow.
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The Age of Renewed Great Power Competition: A Role for ‘Interactive Sincere Powers’
Promotion of cooperation in the Indo-Pacific will serve to connect Europe and Asia. ‘Sincere powers’ should proactively interact with each other and seek to convince the major powers such as China to restrain their behaviour and adhere to the international norms and rules.
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So Far, Yet So Close: Japanese and Estonian Cybersecurity Policy Perspectives and Cooperation
Estonia and Japan are among the leaders in cyber diplomacy and cybersecurity on the global stage, Japan also being a key strategic partner for the EU and NATO. They have many similarities in their approaches to cybersecurity and state behaviour in cyberspace, which has established solid ground for closer bilateral ties. This report, authored by leading Estonian and Japanese researchers of cybersecurity policy, gives a valuable insight into the experiences and perspectives of these two countries, their success stories and challenges in building a secure cyberspace, as well as the potential for cooperation.
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So Far, Yet So Close: Japanese and Estonian Cybersecurity Policy Perspectives and Cooperation
Despite the geographical distance between them, Estonia and Japan share many similar security challenges, such as potential destabilisation in cyberspace due to geopolitical tensions and conflicts, the vulnerability of national digital infrastructure, and the impact of cyber-attacks on trust in open, democratic societies. Tackling such challenges requires close international cooperation and the exchange of national best practices and experiences.
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Vostok 2018: Implications for the Japan-US Alliance
On 11 September Russia took the initiative with two major events in its East (Vostok in Russian).
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What to Do with North Korea?
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) is not your typical diplomatic partner to communicate with. The efforts taken in the course of history to resolve the region’s issues with negotiations have almost always run up against North Korea’s unwillingness and its rational deliberations to uphold their regime. How should the international community communicate with Pyongyang? What has changed compared to previous decades and do we even have to communicate with Kim Jong-un or are there alternative options?
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Missile “show” in East Asia—a headache for NATO?
While the Baltic states and Poland kept themselves busy receiving allied reinforcements in the framework of NATO‘s Enhanced Forward Presence, things have been heating up on the other side of the globe – on the Korean peninsula.
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