CogitAsia

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 consider whether Jokowi has met high domestic expectations, evaluate his accomplishments in domestic and economic reform (6:15), assess his cabinet reshuffles and politics (8:50), and analyze the state of Indonesia’s civil-military relations (11:15). Nguyen and Sambhi also describe Jokowi’s foreign and security policy approach -- including tension with China in the Natuna Islands area of the South China Sea and lower emphasis on ASEAN (15:25), examine Indonesia-Australia relations (23:36), and preview what to watch for in the remaining three years of Jokowi’s first term (28:17). Hosted by Will Colson. Audio edited by Frances Burkham. Written and produced by Jeffrey Bean.

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 Asia. Sanderson shares his experience from field work in the region, describes the security situation's impact on Central Asian economies (9:50), U.S. interests in the region (12:39), and analyzes Central Asia's responses to these threats (17:28). Hosted by Will Colson. Audio edited by Frances Burkham. Written and produced by Jeffrey Bean.

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, joins to share her insights into the collapsing fishstocks in the South China Sea. Rachael describes the impact of overfishing and IUU on regional economies (2:15), details the day to day experience for fishers in Southeast Asia during this period of geopolitical competition (5:27), and discusses the attention sustainable fisheries and illegal fishing receive from the conservation community (11:08). Audio edited by Frances Burkham. Written, produced, and hosted by Jeffrey Bean.

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 a pivotal role in shaping Taiwan’s democracy (4:36). He also describes how Taiwan’s economic slowdown gives China additional leverage in cross-strait relations (8:42), examines U.S. policy options to aid Taiwan from his recent report (11:06), and evaluates the implications for U.S. standing in the region (16:42). Hosted by Will Colson. Audio edited by Frances Burkham. Written and produced by Jeffrey Bean.

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 break down the issues that shaped the election, evaluate the progress of Abenomics (4:10), and discuss prospects for constitutional revision (9:09). They also analyze the current landscape in Japanese politics and business (11:47), describe the debate over nuclear power (20:18), and examine what the LDP’s victory means for the U.S.-Japan alliance (22:23). Hosted by Will Colson. Audio edited by Frances Burkham. Written and produced by Jeffrey Bean.

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 service to the Chinese Communist Party and the state (13:15). They also shed light on the tradecraft and tactics of the Ministry of State Security, Ministry of Public Security, and the People’s Liberation Army (24:02), examine China’s open-source intel gathering capabilities (31:26), analytic methods (37:06), and assess the growing professionalism in China’s intelligence services (40:10). Hosted by Will Colson. Audio edited by Frances Burkham. Written and produced by Jeffrey Bean.

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 political priorities. In late March, President Xi Jinping and the Chinese leadership released China’s 13th Five-Year Plan. This five-year plan has key implications for the Chinese Communist Party’s efforts to simultaneously move China toward a more market-driven economy -- while ensuring the party’s continued legitimacy by improving the quality of life for the Chinese people. Dr. Scott Kennedy of the CSIS Freeman Chair in China Studies sat down with CSIS CogitAsia editor Jeffrey Bean to breakdown the elements of the 13th Five-Year Plan plan and discuss findings from a new CSIS study “Perfecting China, Incorporated.” Hosted by Will Colson. Audio edited by Ella Weiner. Written and produced by Jeffrey Bean.

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 India to the rest of the world, including the United States. To help listeners understand this multifaceted transnational criminal problem and its impact on India and the United States we turned to the Drug Enforcement Agency’s Country Attaché in India Derek Odney and illicit drug control expert Dr. David Murray of the Hudson Institute. We also hear from Brigadier Gurmeet Kanwal, a Delhi-based adjunct fellow with CSIS, and the CSIS Wadhwani Chair’s Natalie Tecimer to learn more about the situation on the ground and what U.S. and Indian officials are doing to counter the threat. Hosted by Will Colson. Audio edited by Franny Hocking. Written and produced by Jeffrey Bean.

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 and the world. Like the Beijing Olympics, the growth of the Chinese soccer league, coupled with the performance of China’s national teams in qualifying for the World Cup, is another benchmark of China’s re-entry to the global stage. This episode features in-depth insights from John Duerden, a journalist covering Asian football for The New York Times and The Guardian, who describes the environment behind the scenes as millions of dollars flow into the Chinese Super League. Dr. Scott Kennedy of the CSIS Freeman Chair and Dr. Victor Cha of the CSIS Korea Chair provide the economic and geopolitical context for Xi Jinping's efforts to jumpstart the Chinese beautiful game and elevate China's soft power. Hosted by Will Colson. Audio editing by Lauren Abuali. Written and produced by Jeffrey Bean.

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 in building up reefs in the South China Sea. We discuss the costs and politics behind island building in Southeast Asia with Gregory Poling, director of the CSIS Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative, and then Dr. McManus assesses the durability of these new islands and the impact of their construction on the environmental well-being of the ocean reefs and fisheries in the surrounding waters. Hosted by Colm Quinn. Audio edited by Lauren AbuAli. Written by Colm Quinn and Jeffrey Bean. Produced by Jeffrey Bean.