In a piece for The New York Times, Edward Wong interviews Professor M. Taylor Fravel on the confrontation between Vietnam and China over petroleum-rich sections of the South China Sea. “The risk of escalation is real,” says Fravel. “Offshore oil and gas play an important role in Vietnam’s economy.”
Professor Jim Walsh speaks with Jeremy Hobson of NPR’s Here & Now about concerns that North Korea may be planning to conduct another nuclear test during President Obama’s visit to Japan. Walsh also speaks about current international issues on a larger scale, touching on both Syria and Ukraine.
Professor M. Taylor Fravel co-authors this Washington Post article looking at the frequency of Chinese Coast Guard patrols in the territorial waters off the disputed Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands. Fravel and his co-author suggest that the decrease in patrols may signal a willingness by China to avoid escalation in a standoff with Japan over the islands.
MIT Sloan Professor Andrei Kirilenko writes about the crisis in Ukraine. Kirilenko draws upon his experience as an academic in the U.S. and his childhood in Ukraine to make recommendations for the country’s future.