In July 2025, Vietnam and China held their first joint army drill, a modest but symbolic move reflecting Hanoi’s strategic hedging amid U.S.–China rivalry.
Nguyễn Khắc Giang
Source: Washington, DC: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 1994
Iran was defeated by Iraq in a brutal eight-year war that ended in July 1988. Thirty months later Iraq was defeated by the United States and its allies in Operation Desert Storm. Iran's military leaders have carefully examined the reasons for their defeat and the allies' victory. The country has now embarked on a major rearmament program that has alarmed it neighbors and caused great concern in Washington. Shahram Chubin analyzes Iran's rearmament program and its strategic implications for the region.
In July 2025, Vietnam and China held their first joint army drill, a modest but symbolic move reflecting Hanoi’s strategic hedging amid U.S.–China rivalry.
Nguyễn Khắc Giang
Most Southeast Asian states behave as if the actions of their Northeast Asian neighbors and the Philippines will be sufficient to maintain a regional status quo from which they can benefit.
Chong Ja Ian
Blinken’s Beijing visit will be seen through a security lens, but Washington should separate its alliance from Manila from its calculations around China.
Charmaine Misalucha-Willoughby
Ending the escalatory spiral will be difficult, particularly in light of the breakdown in military dialogue channels.
Paul Haenle, Nathaniel Sher
A China expert sees hardening positions and growing capabilities as destabilizing forces in the Washington-Beijing relationship.
Paul Haenle, Evan S. Medeiros