Tag: China

War in the Fourth Industrial Revolution

Post author By David W. Barno
Post date 16/07/2018
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*Image courtesy of US Navy/John Williams.*

This article was originally published by War on the Rocks on 19 June 2018.

Retiring Chinese general He Lei recently made news by suggesting that China’s greatest military weakness compared to the United States was that it has never fought a real war. He noted none of Beijing’s increasingly advanced weapons, jets, and ships have been tested in combat. Moreover, the large People’s Liberation Army continues to rely upon conscripts rather than the long-serving professionals in the U.S. military. He argued the Chinese military “will be ridden with doubts until they get into a real fight.”

Tags China, Technology, United States of America, Weapons, Defense, Future Warfare

Global Military Spending Remains High at $1.7 Trillion

Post author By the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute
Post date 09/07/2018
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*Image courtesy of the Ignacio D. Perez/US Navy/Flickr. US government work.*

This article was originally published by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) on 2 May 2018.

Total world military expenditure rose to $1739 billion in 2017, a marginal increase of 1.1 per cent in real terms from 2016, according to new figures from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). China’s military expenditure rose again in 2017, continuing an upward trend in spending that has lasted for more than two decades. Russia’s military spending fell for the first time since 1998, while spending by the United States remained constant for the second successive year. The comprehensive annual update of the SIPRI Military Expenditure Database is accessible from today at www.sipri.org.

Tags China, Middle East, Russia, United States of America, Armed Forces, Defense, Budget, military spending

In Search of the Real Indo-Pacific

Post author By Donald K Emmerson
Post date 27/06/2018
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*Image courtesy of US Department of Defense/Vernon Young Jr.*

This article was originally published by YaleGlobal Online on 14 June 2018.

Global powers show renewed interest in the Indo-Pacific region, but should resist piling on with geopolitical intentions

The 2018 Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore might as well have been renamed the “Indo-Pacific Dialogue.” In the plenaries and the panels, in the Q&As, corridors, and coffee breaks, not even the imminent Trump-Kim summit hosted by Singapore could compete with the “Indo-Pacific” among the attendees. Although the toponym itself is old, its sudden popularity is new, reflecting new geopolitical aspirations for the region.

Tags India, United States of America, Geopolitics, Asia-Pacific, Conferences, International Relations, China

“The Damn Thing Melted”: Arctic Security in the Blue-Water Era

Post author By Steve Tebbe
Post date 11/05/2018
1 Comment on “The Damn Thing Melted”: Arctic Security in the Blue-Water Era

*Image courtesy of US Department of Defense/Flickr.*

This article was originally published by the Wilson Center’s Environmental Change and Security Program (ECSP) on 26 April 2018.

When Secretary of the Navy Richard Spencer told the media last week that “the damn thing melted,” he wasn’t talking about an ice cream cone. As the Arctic faces unprecedented levels of open water, Spencer and other naval leaders recently testified to Congress about the U.S. Navy’s strategy, which is changing as quickly as the Arctic itself.

Tags Naval Strategy, China, Russia, United States of America, Arctic

China’s Global Connectivity Politics: On Confidently Dealing with Chinese Initiatives

Post author By Paul Kohlenberg
Post date 07/05/2018
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*Image courtesy of European External Action Service/Flickr. (CC BY-NC 2.0)*

This article was originally published by the German Instiitute for International and Security Affairs (SWP) in April 2018.

European attitudes towards China and its Belt and Road Initiative are changing. While the People’s Republic under Xi Jinping is the only country in the world pursuing a global vision, distrust of China’s expanding influence is growing. As a consequence, the European debate about China is becoming increasingly emotional with interpretations fluctuating between alarmism and reassurance. Ideas about the ‘essence of China’ and expectations that the country should fit into the liberal order according to Western standards, however, threaten to limit Europe’s scope of action in dealing with the People’s Republic. In order to develop strategies for a confident German and European policy, China’s current global political approach should be considered systematically. Based on the features of China’s ‘connectivity politics’ (Konnektivitätspolitik), Germany and the EU could formulate policy options that go far beyond the realm of infrastructure.

Tags International Relations, China, European Union, Germany, Foreign policy