Asia-Pacific Research Forum

The Asia-Pacific Research Forum is an informal community of interest supported by the RAND Center for Asia Pacific Policy and Defense and Political Sciences Department to give Asia-Pacific scholars at RAND a platform to share resources, information, and ideas, as well as to create a channel for external stakeholders and thought leaders interested in Asia-Pacific issues to access relevant RAND research, researchers, and events.

Recent Publications and Events

Event
The U.S.-Japan Alliance: Advancing Cooperation on Strategic Technology and Defense
This two-day conference is part of the ongoing U.S.-Japan Alliance event series. On February 23, speakers will address the next phase in U.S- Japan defense cooperation. On February 25, the focus will be the challenge of building trusted 5G communications networks. [Virtual]
Event
The United States, Japan, and the Rise of Telework during the COVID-19 Pandemic
As both the U.S. and Japan respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, a major shift has occurred towards support for and use of teleworking as a way to safely continue to engage in certain types of job fields. The growth of telework raises a number of interesting questions about the future of certain types of economic activities in both countries. [Virtual]
Report
Regional Responses to U.S.-China Competition in the Indo-Pacific: Indonesia
Jonah Blank

The U.S. Department of Defense's 2018 National Defense Strategy highlights the importance of working with regional allies and partners in order to manage China's rise as a strategic competitor to the United States in the Indo-Pacific region. In this country-level report in a series, the author examines the potential for, and potential impediments to, partnering more closely with Indonesia.
Report
Rethinking the U.S. Approach to the World
Miranda Priebe @MirandaPriebe, Bryan Rooney, et al.

Questions about U.S. grand strategy and its associated costs have taken on new urgency because of the economic effects of the pandemic. If the United States adopted a realist grand strategy of restraint, it would cooperate more with other powers, reduce its forward military presence, and end some security commitments.
Commentary
Biden Will Inherit Healthy Indo-Pacific Alliances
Derek Grossman @DerekJGrossman

Certainly there is much work ahead as the United States embarks on the next chapter of competition against China throughout the Indo-Pacific. But U.S. alliances and partnerships are in good shape—the result of a growing Indo-Pacific consensus on the existential economic and security threat China poses.
Commentary
What Does Vietnam Want from the United States in the South China Sea?
Derek Grossman @DerekJGrossman

Over the last few years, tensions between China and Vietnam in the South China Sea have remained high. While the Biden administration is likely to continue positive momentum in bilateral ties, it is less clear what specifically Hanoi seeks from Washington to help it effectively deter Beijing.
Commentary
China Isn't Backing Down in South Asia
Derek Grossman @DerekJGrossman

Much to India's frustration, China's influence is on the rise across South Asia. India will probably have to work overtime, and in concert with like-minded partners such as Australia, Japan, and the United States to complicate and rein in China's successes in the region.
Blog
The Most Popular RAND Research of 2020
Here are the RAND research projects that resonated most in 2020, a year unlike any in living memory. Topics include remote learning, election disinformation, income inequality, and more.
Report
Allies Growing Closer: Japan-Europe Security Ties in the Age of Strategic Competition
Jeffrey W. Hornung

Some of America's strongest allies are its European partners and Japan. In an age of growing strategic competition, how are these allies cooperating with one another? And how might these partnerships affect the United States?
Report
Command and Control in U.S. Naval Competition with China
Kimberly Jackson @k_m_jackson, Andrew Scobell, et al.

The navies of the United States and China will likely face challenges as they shift to new missions unless they adapt their existing concepts of command and control. Their willingness to adapt could prove to be decisive in maritime rivalry, and perhaps in the overall balance of strategic competition between the two nations.