Recent Publications

Right Sizing the People’s Liberation Army: Exploring the Contours of China’s Military
August 1, 2007 — Author: Mr Roy Kamphausen, Dr Andrew Scobell This volume addresses how the leadership of China and the PLA view what size of PLA best meets China’s requirements. Among other things, this analytical process makes important new contributions on the question of PLA transparency, long an issue among PLA watchers. A great deal of emphasis has been put... MORE

China’s Nuclear Forces: Operations, Training, Doctrine, Command, Control and Campaign Planning
May 1, 2007 — Author: Dr Larry M Wortzel Recent books and journal articles published in China provide new insights into nuclear doctrine, operations, training, and the employment of the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) strategic rocket forces. The major insights come from exploiting sections of a doctrinal text published for PLA institutions of higher military... MORE

North Korean Foreign Relations in the Post-Cold War World
April 1, 2007 — Author: Dr Samuel S Kim The author examines North Korea’s foreign relations with China, Russia, Japan, the United States, and South Korea during the post-Cold War era. North Korea’s extended and heavy reliance on foreign aid and assistance —both military and economic—in the first 4 decades came from China, the Soviet Union, and communist bloc... MORE

The Politics of Identity: History, Nationalism, and the Prospect for Peace in Post-Cold War East Asia
April 1, 2007 — Author: Dr Sheila Miyoshi Jager Both the Taiwan Strait and the Korean peninsula harbor real dangers for the Northeast Asian region. The clash between an increasingly divergent nationalist identity in China and in Taiwan represent a new challenge for U.S. policy in this area. Similarly, the rise of pan-Korean nationalism in South Korea, and an... MORE

U.S. Interests in Central Asia and the Challenges to Them
March 1, 2007 — Author: Dr Stephen J Blank The author assesses the interests of the United States in Central Asia and the challenges to them. These challenges consist of the revival of the Taliban, Russo-Chinese efforts to oust U.S. strategic presence from the area, and the possibility of internal instability generated by the regression of local regimes form... MORE

Political Warfare in Sub-Saharan Africa: U.S. Capabilities and Chinese Operations in Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa
March 1, 2007 — Author: Dr Donovan C Chau Domestic and international terrorism aside, the United States and the People’s Republic of China (PRC), are vying for influence over African governments and people. Not unlike the Cold War, the primary means of exerting influence in Africa is through the use of nonviolent instruments of grand strategy. The author considers... MORE

Chinese Perceptions of Traditional and Nontraditional Security Threats
March 1, 2007 — Author: Ms Susan L Craig To understand the motivations and decisions of China’s leadership and to behave in a manner so that we can influence them, we must try to understand the world as China does. This research is an attempt to do so by examining the writings and opinions of China’s scholars, journalists and leaders--its “influential elite.”... MORE

Exploring the “Right Size” for China’s Military: PLA Missions, Functions, and Organizations
February 1, 2007 — Authors: Mr Justin B Liang, Dr Sarah K Snyder On October 6, 2006, more than 60 leading experts on China's People’s Liberation Army (PLA) convened at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania, for a two-day discussion of the drivers of PLA force modernization. The 2006 PLA Conference was co-sponsored by National Bureau of Asian Research and the Strategic... MORE

China-ASEAN Relations: Perspectives, Prospects, and Implications for U.S. Interests
October 1, 2006 — Author: Dr Jing-dong Yuan The author traces the evolution of China-ASEAN relations since the early 1990s and examines some of the key factors that have contributed to the positive developments in bilateral ties. He describes and analyzes how China and ASEAN have managed the territorial disputes through negotiation and compromises; looks at the... MORE

Shaping China’s Security Environment: The Role of the People’s Liberation Army
October 1, 2006 — Authors: Dr Andrew Scobell, Dr Larry M Wortzel This volume addresses the role of the Chinese military in shaping its country’s security environment. The PLA itself is shaped and molded by both domestic and foreign influences. In the first decade of the 21st century, the PLA is not a central actor in China’s foreign policy the way it was just a few... MORE

String of Pearls: Meeting the Challenge of China’s Rising Power Across the Asian Littoral
July 1, 2006 — Author: LTC Christopher J Pehrson China's rising maritime power is encountering American maritime power along the sea lines of communication (SLOCs) that connect China to vital energy resources in the Middle East and Africa. The "String of Pearls" describes the manifestation of China's rising geopolitical influence through efforts to increase... MORE

Chinese National Security: Decisionmaking Under Stress
October 1, 2005 — Authors: Dr Andrew Scobell, Dr Larry M Wortzel This volume represents the fruits of a conference held at the U.S. Army War College in September 2005 on the theme of "Chinese Crisis Management." One of the major debates that emerged among participants was whether all the case studies under examination constituted crises in the eyes of China's... MORE