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 Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Work, Health, and Social Well-Being: Perspectives from the U.S. and Japan
RAND will host a conference to discuss U.S. and Japanese perspectives on artificial intelligence. What impacts could it have on work, health, and social well-being in both countries? [Pittsburgh, PA]
Commentary
Beyond Hawks and Doves: A Better Way to Debate U.S.–China Policy
Ali Wyne @Ali_Wyne
The best long-term outcome for U.S.–China relations may be one in which inexorably intensifying competition coexists with occasionally fruitful cooperation. It is not the most inspiring result, to be sure, but it is preferable to unconstrained antagonism.
Testimony
Climate Change and U.S. Security in the Arctic
Abbie Tingstad
The Arctic's ongoing changes in climate promote both challenges and opportunities. These are influenced by technology, economic, and other factors. Why does climate change in the Arctic matter? And what does the United States need to do about it from a security perspective?
Commentary
South Korea–Japan Tensions Complicate U.S. Efforts to Leverage Allies in Competition with China
Scott W. Harold @ScottWHarold
The rapid deterioration of ties between South Korea and Japan not only undercuts America's Indo-Pacific strategy, it also increases the risks to U.S. allies and partners in the region. Just how consequential is the growing South Korea–Japan tension for U.S. strategy and what is Washington doing to address the issue?
Report
Are States Using Cyber Operations to Coerce Others?
Quentin E. Hodgson @QHodgson, Logan Ma, et al.
Cyber operations have become another tool of statecraft. But have any cyber operations sponsored by Russia, China, Iran, or North Korea met the definition of cyber coercion? If so, how? And what should the United States do to counter it?
Commentary
Southeast Asia Loves ISIS, but Is the Feeling Mutual?
Zachary Abuza, Colin P. Clarke @ColinPClarke
As the ISIS core in Iraq and Syria attempts to rebuild, Baghdadi and his lieutenants will have to make difficult decisions about where to allocate resources. Now that the caliphate is gone and ISIS must transform into an insurgency, the largely untested lands of Southeast Asia may yield rich rewards.
Commentary
A Tale of Two Cities China Ignores at Its Peril
Derek Grossman @DerekJGrossman
Beijing may believe that, eventually, Taiwanese politics will turn in its favor. But it should consider experiences from the other two territories currently living under the formula—Hong Kong and Macau—to better understand why “one country, two systems” will never work in Taiwan, regardless of politics.
Commentary
We Built an App to Detect Areas Most Vulnerable to Life-Threatening Haze
Tianjia Liu, Miriam Elizabeth Marlier, et al.
Forest and land-use fires are ravaging Indonesia's Sumatra and Kalimantan islands. Haze from these fires threatens lives as inhaling smoke can cause heart and respiratory diseases, leading to premature deaths. We developed a new online tool to provide decision-makers with information to protect people living downwind from the fires.
Report
'Hostile Social Manipulation' Is a Growing Threat to the United States
Michael J. Mazarr @MMazarr, Abigail Casey, et al.
Hostile social manipulation includes social media campaigns, sophisticated forgeries, cyberbullying, and spreading rumors and conspiracy theories to cause damage to a state. As these techniques are used by Russia and China, the United States should invest more resources to understand and counter them.
Commentary
Maintaining the U.S. Edge in the Freely Associated States
Derek Grossman @DerekJGrossman, Michael S. Chase
In the geo-strategically vital region of the Freely Associated States (FAS), China is increasingly competing with the United States for influence. The United States and its allies and partners will need to engage not only with economic aid, but also with other issues including health, economic development, natural disasters, climate change and illegal fishing to sustain a strong partnership with the FAS.