Brahma Chellaney
Professor, Center for Policy Research
May 11, 2016
Beijing has highlighted its water hegemony over downstream countries by releasing some dammed water for drought-hit nations in the lower Mekong River basin. Brahma Chellaney argues that this unilateralist approach underscores the imperative for institutionalized water cooperation in Asia, based on a balance between rights and obligations.
Mar 14, 2016
At a time when the conflict within Islam has sharpened between Sunnis and Shias and between fundamentalists and reformers, the House of Saud — the world’s No. 1 promoter of radical Islamic extremism — is increasingly playing the sectarian card, even at the risk of deepening the schisms. This aggressive activism carries significant implications for U.S. interests, from the Middle East to Asia.
Feb 05, 2016
President Xi Jinping’s latest trip to Iran, Saudi Arabia and Egypt point to the broader Chinese ambitions in the Middle East, a region where political turmoil and Russia’s military intervention in Syria are already altering the delicate balance of power. Only sustained pressure can persuade Beijing that its future lies in cooperation and not confrontation.
Jan 18, 2016
With Japan’s pride and nationalist impulse to play a bigger international role now rising, its domestic debate on national-security and constitutional reform is set to intensify. Although rising powers tend to be revisionist powers, a politically resurgent Japan, strikingly, is seeking to uphold the present Asian political and maritime order.
Nov 09, 2015
America needs to fix its Pakistan policy, which permits the Pakistani military to nurture more transnational terrorists. The policy also plays into China’s hands by helping Beijing to cement the Sino-Pakistan nexus. Pakistan is an asset for China to keep India boxed in, but a burden for America’s geostrategic interests.
May 11, 2015
Under Xi, China has moved to a proactive posture to shape its external security environment, using trade and investment to expand its sphere of strategic influence while simultaneously asserting territorial and maritime claims against its neighbors. The Maritime Silk Road project is driven by his belief that the maritime domain holds the key to China achieving preeminence in Asia.
Apr 29, 2015
Japan’s Constitution hasn’t been changed in 68 years, and prevents its military from staging rescue missions and other overseas operations. Brahma Chellaney encourages Japanese constitutional reform, with U.S. support, to act as a military balance in East Asia.
Sep 03, 2014
Chinese President Xi Jinping’s upcoming trip to New Delhi, where he will meet with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, holds great significance for Sino-Indian relations. While tensions have been high in recent years, the progress that Modi has made since his election in May offers hope for greater stability in the Asia-Pacific region.
Jan 15, 2014
When Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited Tokyo’s controversial Yasukuni Shrine last month, Chinese leaders, predictably, condemned his decision to honor those behind “the war of aggression against China.” But Abe was also sending a message to Japan’s main ally and defender, the US.
May 31, 2013
In his first trip abroad, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang visited India to downplay tensions over a recent border dispute and focus on bridging economic ties between the two countries. As Brahma Chellaney explains, India has a long way to go toward advancing its own strategic interests and taking an assertive role in regional politics.