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This article analyzes development prospects of relations between Russia and Japan as Japanese diplomacy toward Russia becomes more active. In May 2016, Prime Minister S. Abe put forward an eight-point cooperation program. More than 100 economic agreements have been signed within the framework of that program; however, most of them have not been implemented. The author examines the reasons for failure of these bilateral relations to develop.

This article analyzes Japan’s policy in the basin of the Pacific and Indian Oceans. The term “Indo-Pacific Region” is more often used in scientific circles and mass media now instead of Asia-Pacific Region, which reflects the radical economic and political shifts in the basin of the two oceans.

CHINA became a defining topic of Donald Trump’s election campaign since it was closely associated with the basic elements of both his foreign and domestic policy. Whether directly or indirectly, China affected globalization, its pluses, and minuses for America, U.S. jobs and industry, the conditions of American business’s competition on both the domestic and foreign […]

As a result of the “shale revolution,” the U.S. could emerge as a liquefied natural gas (LNG) exporter. APR countries, major LNG importers − Japan and South Korea included, became a premium market for its commercialization. Due to economic factors of U.S. LNG projects, the U.S. has determined the trend of LNG trade development in the region, and its political leaders intend to use the exports for providing “energy dominance” of the U.S. The aim of this article is to appreciate the prospects of transforming LNG exports into a tool of economic and political influence of the U.S. in the APR.

RUSSIA’S POSITION on territorial and border conflicts in East Asia arouses great interest. Most of these conflicts have deep roots in and are consequences of the Cold War, primarily stemming from legal gaps in the system of interstate borders that is based on the San Francisco Peace Treaty. These conflicts include disputes over the South […]

The Global Context THE CURRENT STAGE of Russia’s pivot to the East is the product of the second half of the 2000s largely as a belated economic response to the rise of Asia, which opened new opportunities for the country’s development, especially for its eastern part. That rise made it possible to turn the Ural […]

The author examines the results of the 15-year activity of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, its structure, and relations between its members. He also analyzes its role in the region and partnership problems, and forecasts the organization’s development prospects in the currently unfolding new world order.

The author discusses security on the landmass taken up by the member countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and closely scrutinizes Islamic fundamentalism dressing up in our times as the Islamic State (of Iraq and Levant, or Syria, to give the full unabbreviated name of ISIS), the Taliban, or whatever names its proponents choose to call it – that is raising its head in Afghanistan after the failure of Operation Enduring Freedom and withdrawal of the Western coalition’s main forces from that country, and sheds light on the U.S.’s ill-fated role in the erosion of stability in the region. The author also argues for the need to strengthen the SCO’s military arm to keep its enormous expanses secure and stable, and offers his recommendations on enhancing the Organization’s power and capabilities to give its members a sense of protection and security.

Statistical and geographical data concerning pirates’ attacks in recent years are cited, their actions, as well as measures taken by coastal states to thwart them are described.