CogitAsia

By CSIS Asia Program

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What's CogitAsia about?

A weekly podcast from the Asia experts at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, who provide analysis on policy and trends in the region.

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CogitAsia episodes:

01.22.2019
Building Bihar
In this episode, we focus on the Indian state of Bihar. Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar Sushil Modi – a key leader in the BJP – and Sanjay Kumar, Principal Secretary of Health for Bihar – the state’s head technocrat...
11.01.2018
Balancing U.S.-India Energy Ties
In this episode, we discuss energy cooperation in the U.S.-India relationship. Achieving two diverging goals for energy engagement in the relationship – deepening and broadening renewables cooperation while India is importing U.S. oil and gas – will likely require a...
10.12.2018
China’s Credit & Credibility
In this episode, we discuss the current state of China’s financial system. China’s credit sector has expanded dramatically over the course of China’s unparalleled economic rise, yet now faces key problems that may impact overall economic stability. The authors of a...
09.27.2018
Spotlight on Nagaland Post-Insurgency
In this episode, we discuss conflict resolution and development in the northeast Indian state of Nagaland. The long-running insurgency in Nagaland looks to be drawing to a close following conclusion of a framework for a peace agreement in 2015 between...
09.05.2018
Unpacking Congress’s Role in Asia Policy & the 2019 NDAA
In this episode, we review the Asia-related sections of the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, and explore Congress’s role in framing U.S. policy toward Asia. Returning to the podcast to unpack these topics are Dr. Michael Green, Japan...
06.25.2018
How China Became an Insider in Global Governance
In this episode, we assess China’s engagement with multilateral institutions and global governance. Joining the show to track China’s transition from institutional outsider to cautious observer to international insider in global governance are Dr. Scott Kennedy, Deputy Director of the CSIS...
05.29.2018
Japan’s Challenges in Eurasia
In this episode, we tackle Japan’s relationships with the European Union and Russia in tandem. How will BREXIT affect EU-Japan and Japan-UK relations? What does the new EU-Japan FTA deal mean for the Japanese economy? Will Japan ever regain control...
05.24.2018
Japan-U.S. Defense Cooperation in the Innovation Age
In this episode, we discuss the future of defense innovation in the U.S.-Japan alliance with the specter of a rising China on the horizon. CSIS 2018 Strategic Japan Fellow Dr. Satoru Mori, a professor at Hosei University in Japan, joins...
05.03.2018
Southeast Asia’s Slide toward Authoritarianism
In this episode, we assess the decline of democratic governance, human rights, and rule of law in several Southeast Asian countries ahead of key elections in 2018 and 2019. CSIS Southeast Asia Program Deputy Director Brian Harding joins the pod...
04.24.2018
Context for the Korean Summit(s)
In this episode, we provide context for the inter-Korean summit and analyze the prospects of a Trump-Kim summit. CSIS Korea Chair experts Dr. Sue Mi Terry and Lisa Collins join to chart the whirlwind developments on the peninsula since early...
03.28.2018
Igniting a U.S.-China Trade War
In this episode, we analyze the origin and impact of a Sino-American trade war. As the trading relationship between Washington and Beijing spirals into conflict and protectionism, we are joined by two CSIS experts, Matthew Goodman, Simon Chair in Political...
03.05.2018
Talking China, Tech, & Ethics with Kaiser Kuo
In this podcast, we talk with Kaiser Kuo, longtime China technology watcher and practitioner, and co-host of the Sinica podcast. In an environment where Xi Jinping is president for life, understanding China’s approach to emerging technology, innovation, and the Chinese...
11.20.2017
Xi Runs This Town
In this podcast, we take a deep dive into the outcomes of the Chinese Communist Party’s 19Party Congress. Now that the dust has settled following Xi Jinping’s resounding win, we turned to two leading China-watchers to analyze the implications for China’s...
11.06.2017
U.S.-China Competition in Outer Space
In the 10 years since China’s first successful anti-satellite test, the vulnerability of essential U.S. space systems has been underscored and competition in outer space has resumed. How has the United States responded? What are the implications for strategy and...
09.25.2017
Myanmar on the Brink
In this episode we discuss the complicated political picture in Myanmar for Aung San Suu Kyi after 18 months in office and the humanitarian tragedy in Rakhine state. Former U.S. Ambassador to Myanmar Derek Mitchell joins to dissect what is...
08.02.2017
Changing the U.S. Policy Approach to the South China Sea
In this episode we discuss altering the U.S. policy approach to the South China Sea. Where does the South China Sea rank in the pecking order of U.S. policy interests? How much risk should America be willing to take over these...
07.27.2017
Countering Chinese Coercion
In this episode we discuss maritime coercion in the Asia Pacific. Chinese actions in maritime Asia have led to a great deal of concern and commentary since disputes in the East and South China Seas have come to the forefront...
07.17.2017
Conflict & Governance in Southeast Asia
In this episode we discuss power and conflict in Southeast Asia with Michael Vatikiotis. While inter-state conflict has been minimal in recent years, countries around Southeast Asia face challenges in the form of unresolved insurgencies, simmering ethnic conflicts, and illiberal...
06.21.2017
Arthur Kroeber on China’s High-Tech Drive
In this podcast, a joint production of CSIS’s CogitAsia and the China Innovation Policy Series (CIPS), we explore how China’s tech innovation drive fits into the country’s wider economic picture. To gain a sense of whether the Chinese government’s initiatives...
06.13.2017
Japan-South Korea Security Ties
In this episode we tackle Japan-South Korea collaboration on security issues. To gain insight on the complicated nature of Japan-South Korea security ties, we sat down with Dr. Junya Nishino, a 2017 CSIS Strategic Japan Fellow. Dr. Nishino discusses the...
06.05.2017
Growing Digital Dragons: Understanding China’s Technology Innovation Ecosystem
In this episode, we dig into China’s technology innovation efforts and explore how China has become the tech workshop of the world. To give context to China’s efforts to innovate in technology, Dr. Scott Kennedy, director of the CSIS Project...
05.11.2017
Beyond the Fukuda Doctrine: Japan, Southeast Asia, and the Future Regional Order
In this episode we explore how Japan’s relations with Southeast Asia have expanded from economic engagement and development assistance to also include security collaboration and maritime capacity building. To discuss the dynamics of Japan-Southeast Asia relations, we turned to Dr....
05.02.2017
Japan-Australia: Ties that Bind in the Asia Pacific
This week we take a deep dive into relations between two key U.S. allies -- Japan and Australia. CSIS Strategic Japan Fellow Dr. Tomohiko Satake and CSIS Senior Adviser Andrew Shearer join to discuss the drivers for closer cooperation between...
04.19.2017
Achieving Energy Efficiency in India’s States
In this episode, we explore India’s energy efficiency efforts. Dr. Kartikeya Singh, Deputy Director of the CSIS Wadhwani Chair, discusses some of the ways India’s state governments are saving electricity with Saurabh Kumar, Managing Director of Energy Efficiency Services Limited, or...
04.04.2017
Context for the Trump-Xi Summit
In this episode, we look at U.S.-China relations ahead of the first summit between Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping. Longtime China hand Dr. Jeffrey Wasserstrom, Chancellor’s Professor of History at the University of California-Irvine, joins the podcast to provide...
03.13.2017
Cloudy Horizon in U.S.-Philippine Relations
Ties between Washington and Manila have been on a downward trajectory since President Rodrigo Duterte took office in June 2016. In this joint podcast with the CSIS Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative, we assess how these two allies will get on...
03.01.2017
Translating Governance to Growth in India’s States
On March 11, Indian legislative assembly election results from five states — Goa, Manipur, Punjab, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh — will be announced to the public. Nearly 240 million Indians reside in this group of states alone. Policies the newly elected state governments...
01.17.2017
Park's Impeachment and the Future of the Korean Peninsula
Political developments in South Korea, the United States, and North Korea are all shaping up to affect the Korean Peninsula in 2017. CSIS Korea Chair Dr. Victor Cha joins to discuss President Park Geun-hye’s impeachment, the Trump administration’s Korea policy,...
01.11.2017
Thailand's Royal Succession & Political Future
The death of longtime Thai King Bhumipol Adulyadej and the succession of his son, King Vajiralongkorn, marks the beginning of a sensitive period in Thai politics entering 2017. Murray Hiebert, Deputy Director of the CSIS Southeast Asia Program, joins the...
12.07.2016
Innovating Healthcare in India
In this episode, we focus on healthcare innovation in India. Dr. Sunil Wadhwani, founder of the WISH Foundation, sat down with CSIS Senior Fellow Richard Rossow to discuss his organization’s unique and innovative work with primary healthcare clinics in rural...
10.20.2016
Jokowi's Two-Year Report Card
In our latest episode, we turn to Indonesia and discuss the first two years of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s time in office. Adjunct Fellow Phuong Nguyen of CSIS and Research Fellow Natalie Sambhi of the Perth USAsia Centre in Australia...
09.29.2016
Transnational Security in Central Asia
In this episode, we explore the transnational security threats in Central Asia. CSIS Transnational Threats Program Director Thomas Sanderson joins to discuss the challenges terrorism, militancy (3:59), trafficking, and organized crime (8:40) present for the communities and governments of Central...
09.14.2016
Collapsing Fisheries in the South China Sea
In this joint CogitAsia and AMTI episode we tackle the topic of overfishing in the South China Sea. Ahead of the 2016 Our Ocean summit in Washington, Rachael Bale, a reporter with National Geographic’s Special Investigations Unit covering wildlife crime,...
08.23.2016
Sitrep on U.S.-Taiwan Relations
In this episode we assess the status of U.S.-Taiwan relations. CSIS Senior Associate Dr. Robert Wang discusses how relations between Washington and Taipei have changed since 1979, reviews the Taiwan Relations Act (2:39), and explains how young people are playing...
07.29.2016
Assessing Japan's Upper House Elections
In this episode we assess the implications of Japan’s upper house election results following the victory for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Liberal Democratic Party. CSIS Japan Chair Senior Fellow Nicholas Szechenyi and CSIS Simon Chair in Political Economy Matthew Goodman...
07.19.2016
Understanding China’s Intelligence Services
In this episode we explore how China spies. Jamestown Foundation Fellow Peter Mattis and CSIS Freeman Chair in China Studies Christopher Johnson rundown China’s key civilian and military intelligence services, describe their origin story (7:59), and discuss their role in...
07.14.2016
China's Five-Year Plan
In this episode, we assess China’s latest Five-Year Plan. For China no document has reflected the legacy of its Soviet-style economic planning and Marxist-Leninist system than the release every five years of a new, comprehensive blueprint for social, economic, and...
07.08.2016
India’s Drug Trafficking Problem
In this episode we investigate India’s drug trafficking problem. South Asia’s traditional opium and heroin networks are now complemented by the rise in abuse of synthetic precursor chemicals. Large volumes of each type of narcotics are smuggled from and through...
07.01.2016
Kicking Dragons - The Rise of Chinese Football
In this episode we explore the story of Chinese soccer, or football. As China continues to develop, the country and its leaders are constantly seeking metrics to measure their growth and demonstrate their power to both to their own citizens...
05.27.2016
How to Build an Artificial Island
In this episode, we explore how to build an artificial island. Dr. John McManus of the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School gives a step by step guide to construction and describes the techniques the People’s Republic of China has used...
04.14.2016
Myanmar Faces the Future
In this episode we discuss the remarkable rise of Aung San Suu Kyi and the National League for Democracy (NLD) in Myanmar, or Burma. Following inauguration on April 1, 2016, the NLD and Aung San Suu...
04.05.2016
Feeding South Asia: Food Security in Bangladesh & India
In this episode we explore the challenge of feeding the hungry in South Asia. CSIS Global Food Security Project Director Kimberly Flowers and CSIS Wadhwani Chair Richard Rossow explain how issues of nutrition, markets, government programs, climate change, and technology...
04.04.2016
Feeding South Asia: Food Security in Bangladesh and India
In this episode we explore the challenge of feeding the hungry in South Asia. CSIS Global Food Security Project Director Kimberly Flowers and CSIS Wadhwani Chair Richard Rossow explain how issues of nutrition, markets, government programs,...
03.01.2016
Taiwan Under Tsai's Leadership
By: Bonnie S. Glaser In this episode we examine Taiwan’s politics and foreign policy following the landslide election of Dr. Tsai Ing-wen, Taiwan’s first female president. CSIS's China Power Project Director Bonnie Glaser joins to discuss the origin story of...
01.29.2016
Tracking the Reinvigorated U.S.-Philippines Alliance
In this episode we explore the story of the relationship between the United States and its key ally and partner in Southeast Asia – the Philippines. With a shifting geopolitical environment, the lull in U.S.-Philippines ties following the Cold War...
12.19.2015
CogitAsia Podcast: Australia's Future Strategy
Description: This week the show explores Australia's future strategy. To do this, we spoke with CSIS Distinguished Visiting Fellow Andrew Shearer, former Australian National Security Advisor and previously the director of studies at the Lowy Institute. Andrew outlines the key...
12.10.2015
CogitAsia Podcast: South China Sea Dispute in Focus
This week we focus on the latest friction surrounding the disputed South China Sea. CSIS Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative Director Gregory Poling joins to analyze the range of important diplomatic, legal, and security developments in the waters since President Obama's...
12.05.2015
CogitAsia Podcast: North Korea's Cyber Ops
This week we turn to the topic of North Korea’s cyber capabilities just over a year after the hack against Sony Pictures Entertainment. CSIS Korea Chair Dr. Victor Cha joins to discuss a new study on North Korea’s cyber tactics...
11.21.2015
CogitAsia Podcast: China's Coercive Maritime Strategy
In this week's featured discussion, we turn to China's maritime strategy. CSIS Freeman Chair in China Studies Christopher Johnson gives an overview of how President Xi Jinping has restructured and re-energized various components of the Chinese government and military to...
11.14.2015
CogitAsia Podcast: Myanmar Elections Bring Change & COP21 Preview
This week we cover the victory of Aung San Suu Kyi's National League of Democracy party in the Myanmar elections with Phuong Nguyen of CSIS Chair for Southeast Studies. Then we turn to the upcoming United Nations Paris Climate Convention,...

What's CogitAsia about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

CogitAsia episodes:

Building Bihar

Balancing U.S.-India Energy Ties

China’s Credit & Credibility

Spotlight on Nagaland Post-Insurgency

Unpacking Congress’s Role in Asia Policy & the 2019 NDAA

How China Became an Insider in Global Governance

Japan’s Challenges in Eurasia

Japan-U.S. Defense Cooperation in the Innovation Age

Southeast Asia’s Slide toward Authoritarianism

Context for the Korean Summit(s)

Igniting a U.S.-China Trade War

Talking China, Tech, & Ethics with Kaiser Kuo

Xi Runs This Town

U.S.-China Competition in Outer Space

Myanmar on the Brink

Changing the U.S. Policy Approach to the South China Sea

Countering Chinese Coercion

Conflict & Governance in Southeast Asia

Arthur Kroeber on China’s High-Tech Drive

Japan-South Korea Security Ties

Growing Digital Dragons: Understanding China’s Technology Innovation Ecosystem

Beyond the Fukuda Doctrine: Japan, Southeast Asia, and the Future Regional Order

Japan-Australia: Ties that Bind in the Asia Pacific

Achieving Energy Efficiency in India’s States

Context for the Trump-Xi Summit

Cloudy Horizon in U.S.-Philippine Relations

Translating Governance to Growth in India’s States

Park's Impeachment and the Future of the Korean Peninsula

Thailand's Royal Succession & Political Future

Innovating Healthcare in India

Jokowi's Two-Year Report Card

Transnational Security in Central Asia

Collapsing Fisheries in the South China Sea

Sitrep on U.S.-Taiwan Relations

Assessing Japan's Upper House Elections

Understanding China’s Intelligence Services

China's Five-Year Plan

India’s Drug Trafficking Problem

Kicking Dragons - The Rise of Chinese Football

How to Build an Artificial Island

Myanmar Faces the Future

Feeding South Asia: Food Security in Bangladesh & India

Feeding South Asia: Food Security in Bangladesh and India

Taiwan Under Tsai's Leadership

Tracking the Reinvigorated U.S.-Philippines Alliance

CogitAsia Podcast: Australia's Future Strategy

CogitAsia Podcast: South China Sea Dispute in Focus

CogitAsia Podcast: North Korea's Cyber Ops

CogitAsia Podcast: China's Coercive Maritime Strategy

CogitAsia Podcast: Myanmar Elections Bring Change & COP21 Preview