Originally published 4 August 2021.

Africa’s Indian Ocean coastline is not often discussed as part of the Indo-Pacific, but it should be.

Timothy Walker, Maritime Project Leader at the Institute for Security Studies in South Africa, discusses with Veerle the importance of the African littoral in different countries’ Indo-Pacific strategies, the priorities and challenges in furthering maritime security and the blue economy, and the impact of the increasing geopolitical focus on Africa on historical sensitivities in the region.

Originally published 21 July 2021

The New Defence White Paper offers insights into Tokyo’s regional security perspective.

Veerle and Ken Moriyasu, US editor of Nikkei Asia, trace the continuities and changes in Japan’s 2021 Defence White Paper, as well as Tokyo’s enduring relationship with Washington, in the context of changing security dynamics in the Indo-Pacific. They also explore how domestic politics and public opinion continue to play an important role in how Japan responds to security challenges.

In this episode, the panel discuss the fast-evolving security environment in the Black Sea region, including the significance of the recent confrontation between the UK warship HMS Defender and Russia’s armed forces in waters off Crimea.

Dr Dmitri Gorenburg, Senior Research Scientist at CNA in the US, and Dr Maryna Vorotnyuk, RUSI Research Fellow, discuss how security relations have shifted around the Black Sea following Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea and the subsequent build-up of regional military forces with host Dr Neil Melvin, Director RUSI International Security Studies.

Originally published 7 July 2021

Long regarded as a potential Indo-Pacific flashpoint, what is Taipei’s view of the Indo-Pacific?

In this episode, Veerle and Dr Lee Che-chuan, Director of National Security and Decision-Making at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research in Taiwan, discuss Taipei’s view of the Indo-Pacific. From tense cross-strait relations and pressures on Taiwan’s national security, to synergies between Taipei’s New Southbound Policy and other Indo-Pacific strategies, Taipei seeks to carve a role for itself in working with partners on key areas of regional prosperity and stability.

Dr Alex Cooley, the Claire Tow Professor of Political Science at Barnard College and Director of Columbia University's Harriman Institute, and Dr Andrey Kortunov, Director General of the Russian International Affairs Council, discuss the recent Geneva summit between Presidents Biden and Putin and its implications for strategic stability between the US and Russia with host Dr Neil Melvin, Director RUSI International Security Studies. 

Originally published 23 June 2021

Varying perspectives on Chinese tech have hampered a transatlantic convergence.

In this episode, Veerle and Andrew Small, Senior Transatlantic Fellow with the German Marshall Fund’s Asia Program, discuss the presence of Chinese tech in Europe and explore whether there is an alignment of views and policy approaches on mitigating the risks arising from some Chinese corporations. What role is there for NATO in this effort, and how can Europe cooperate with the US in third countries? With transatlantic differences on norms and policy priorities still prevalent, transatlantic convergence still has some ways to go.

In this episode, hosted by Dr Neil Melvin, Director RUSI International Security Studies, Alexander Gabuev, Senior Fellow and Chair, Russia in the Asia-Pacific Programme at the Carnegie Moscow Center, and Dr Artyom Lukin, Associate Professor at Russia’s Far Eastern Federal University, discuss how Russia’s foreign and security policies in Asia are being affected by the Indo-Pacific regional concept and the Quad security grouping.

Originally published 9 June 2021

Although China does not recognise the term Indo-Pacific, it still appreciates the region’s strategic value.

In this episode, Veerle is joined by Dr Bates Gill, Professor of Asia-Pacific Security Studies at Macquarie University and Senior Associate Fellow at RUSI, to discuss China’s interests, ambitions and strategy in the Indo-Pacific region. Despite Beijing’s dismissal of the term ‘Indo-Pacific’ as a US construct, China approaches the Indian and Pacific Oceans as a connected space that is critical to its national security and global presence. The question is: what role does it seek to play?

Originally published 2 June 2021

Concerns over China’s ambitions in outer space abound, but the transatlantic community is struggling to find common ground.

In this episode, Veerle is joined by Marco Aliberti, Senior Research Fellow at the European Space Policy Institute (ESPI) in Vienna, Austria, to discuss the priorities and interests of Europe and the US in outer space and to examine their stances and perspectives on Chinese ambitions in space. While transatlantic cooperation on outer space seems like a natural fit, the partnership is complicated by the debate over competition and cooperation with China.

In this episode, hosted by Dr Neil Melvin, Director RUSI International Security Studies, Richard G Whitman, Professor of Politics and International Relations and a member of the Global Europe Centre at the University of Kent, and Sophia Gaston, Director of the British Foreign Policy Group, discuss how the UK has navigated European issues post-Brexit and what the 2021 Integrated Review signals about the UK’s future approach to European security.