FOCUS ASIA | IRSEA

IRSEA's FOCUS ASIA Programme addresses key political, economic and social developments, at local, regional and global level, related to the area.

FOCUS ASIA contributes to a robust interaction between Europe and Asia by creating original research and roundtables and by hosting events, in partnership with institutions and experts in the area.

The structure of the programme is designed around a permanent exchange of people and views and encourages the development of common solutions in the spirit of mutual respect, mutual benefit and constructive dialogue.

FOCUS ASIA encourages policy driven interdisciplinary approaches with strong practical focus and welcomes policy makers, professionals, academics and junior scholars to closely cooperate in order to address fundamental issues regarding the role of Asia in the 21st century.

If you or your institution would like to contribute to our FOCUS ASIA Programme, please send us an e-mail to programs@irsea.ro

Details of our previous FOCUS ASIA activities can be accessed by clicking on the relevant links in the menu below.

Japan’s Official Security Assistance to Southeast Asia: Limited Scope, but Real Impact

INTRODUCTION: The introduction of Official Security Assistance (OSA) in Japan’s 2022 National Security Strategy aims to increase the deterrence capabilities of Southeast Asian countries.

Japan’s Foreign Policy Outlook in 2025

INTRODUCTION: What will 2025 portend for Japan on the foreign policy front and how should Japan navigate its external relations in the year ahead?

Trump 2.0 and the Pacific Island Countries – What To Expect?

INTRODUCTION: After the shock of the 2022 security agreement between China and the Solomon Islands, the United States increased its engagement with Pacific island countries.

The South China Sea in 2025: More of the Same, Possibly Worse

INTRODUCTION: The prognosis for tensions in the South China Sea dispute this year is pretty straightforward: what has been and is will continue to be so, and perhaps even worse.

RSIS Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies Year In Review 2024

INTRODUCTION: This annual publication is the NTS Centre’s reflections on the events of the past year and contemplations on issues of non-traditional security in Southeast Asia and beyond.

Japan-ROK-US Trilateral Relations: Flying into Turbulence

INTRODUCTION: The political tides are going against the recently impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.

South-South Solidarity in Southeast Asia

INTRODUCTION: PUBLISHED 26 AUG 2024 GRACE STANHOPE Intra-regional aid in Southeast Asia could become a viable alternative for states seeking to assert their independence and engage with sources outside the Global North. Clearly, this form of intra-regional cooperation is still relatively m

UK and the Indo-Pacific: Get Real about Progressive Realism

INTRODUCTION: PUBLISHED 6 AUG 2024 EUGENE R.L. TAN|WILLIAM CHOONG The UK might be scaling down its footprint into the Indo-Pacific. This is a bad idea.… The new UK government cannot argue that more pressing concerns in the Atlantic and Europe should lead to red

Southeast Asia and BRICS: Fear of Missing Out

INTRODUCTION: PUBLISHED 9 JUL 2024 SHARON SEAH The fact that five Southeast Asian countries are seeking to join BRICS should not be seen as an affront to the West and its so-called rules-based order. ASEAN does not constrain its members from joining other multilateral coopera

“Japan, the Courteous Power, Bares Some Teeth for Regional Stability” by William Choong and Joanne Lin

INTRODUCTION: ISEAS Perspective 2024/54, 18 July 2024 INTRODUCTION ASEAN and Japan celebrated five decades of partnership in a Commemorative Summit in December 2023,[1] with the theme “Trusted Partners”. This aptly encapsulated a relationship built on Japan’s respectful d