According to press reports this morning, the Philippine navy is currently locked in a standoff with Chinese government vessels in the South China Sea. The Gregorio del Pilar, a refurbished former U.S. Coast Guard cutter transferred to the Philippines last year, is being blocked by two Chinese surveillance vessels in …
A renewed U.S. interest in the Philippines, our oldest treaty ally in Asia, has come amid heightening tensions in the South China Sea, where six nations—including China and the Philippines—maintain competing claims over the area and its resources. China, whose claim expands to within mere miles of Philippine territory, has …
As we inch closer to the April 1 by-elections in Burma, during which Aung San Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy (NLD) will contest some 46 parliamentary seats, Western observers need to step back, assess the conditions on the ground, and determine whether the recent reforms in Burma—coupled …
By all accounts, Burma today is vastly different than a year ago. Since the fraudulent November 2010 elections, President Thein Sein has enacted a series of reforms, eliciting praise from the international community. Yet numerous challenges still remain, and recent incidents have cast doubt on the government’s ability, and willpower, …
A recent report from the RAND Corporation on al-Qaeda’s future says that the terrorist organization remains extremely dangerous and will demand America’s continued attention for years to come, echoing points Heritage has been making for some time now. The report, “Al Qaeda in Its Third Decade,” by Brian Michael Jenkins, …
According to Associated Press reports today, the Philippine military has killed Southeast Asia’s most-wanted terrorist on Thursday. With U.S. support, two OV-10 aircraft bombed a terrorist stronghold, comprising militants from the al-Qaeda-affiliated groups Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiyah (JI). When the dust settled, Malaysian terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir, known by …
According to press reports, the Philippines and the United States are exploring ways to expand U.S. military presence in the region, including increasing Navy port visits, increasing the size and frequency of military exercises, rotating maritime patrol aircraft, and possibly even rotating U.S. soldiers through Philippine military facilities. Philippine defense …
This Wednesday, Dr. Edwin Feulner and The Heritage Foundation are pleased to host John Chiang, vice chairman of the Kuomintang (KMT) Party in Taiwan. Chiang, the grandson of former President Chiang Kai-shek, will be discussing “Cross-Strait Relations After Taiwan’s 2012 Election,” an issue of heightened relevance given the re-election of …
During Tuesday night’s State of the Union address, President Obama largely glossed over the ongoing war in Afghanistan, where nearly 100,000 American soldiers are fighting to prevent the reemergence of a terrorist safe haven in the region. He did, however, deliver a misleading statement on the subject in declaring that …
