PacNet #39 – AUKUS: Enhancing Undersea Deterrence

Driven by the CCP’s imperative to oversee “the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation” by 2049, US intelligence sources indicate that Chinese President Xi Jinping has ordered the PLA to become capable of countering American military power in the Indo-Pacific and ready for a takeover of Taiwan by 2027. This is an alarming prospect lent credence by recent Chinese military […]

Issues & Insights Vol. 23, WP3 – Understanding JI Resilience and Australia’s Counterterrorism Efforts in Indonesia

Executive Summary Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) remains one of Indonesia’s longest standing state security threats. It has survived major organizational transformations, state security crackdowns, and international military operations in its pursuit of an Islamic caliphate in Indonesia that could extend to incorporate Malaysia, Singapore, and the southern Philippines. Jemaah Islamiyah rose to prominence for its role […]

PacNet #38 – EU holds the key to US-China rivalry

An earlier version of this article appeared with The Hinrich Foundation. President Biden came into office vowing to confront China more forcefully and professing a desire to work closely with US partners to form a “united front” on shared China concerns. This was a key point of differentiation with the previous Trump administration, which sometimes […]

PacNet #37 – Comparative Connections Summary: May 2023

Comparative Connections Summary: January-April 2023   REGIONAL OVERVIEW “Like-Minded Minilateralism” Coming of Age BY RALPH COSSA, PACIFIC FORUM & BRAD GLOSSERMAN, TAMA UNIVERSITY CRS/PACIFIC FORUM As broad-based multilateral organizations seem to be increasingly unable (or unwilling) to tackle the major security challenges of the day—Russia-Ukraine, China-Taiwan, North Korea, and Myanmar, to list but a few—more focused “minilateral” efforts […]

Valeria Villasenor-Bruyere​

Valeria VILLASENOR-BRUYERE is a program manager at Pacific Forum, where she supports the organization’s Women, Peace and Security programs. She worked previously as Program Manager for the Henry Jackson Foundation and as an International Operations Specialist at the Foreign Agricultural Service/USDA in Washington DC. Valeria has 20+ years of experience in International Relations, International Project Management […]

Jeff Otto

Jeff OTTO is a Program Manager at Pacific Forum, where he provides logistical support for local and overseas conferences. Jeff is an alumnus of the Master’s in Asian International Affairs program at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa (UHM). Additionally, he received the degree of Master of Arts in Second Language Studies at UHM in 2021. […]

YL Blog #38 – Cloud-Seeding is Not the Solution to Taiwan’s Rainfall Problems

This article reflects on the workshop, “Anticipating Future Debates on Climate Intervention,” convened by the Center for Global Security Research (CGSR) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) on March 14-15, 2023. The workshop addressed a number of climate intervention strategies, and the related technical and government issues, to combat climate change. The participants homed in […]

US-Japan Cyber Forum: Strengthening International Cooperation Through Cyber Diplomacy

29 March, 2023 @ 12:00 am – About the Forum On March 29, 2023 (US), with support from the US Embassy Tokyo and in partnership with the Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology Open Laboratory for Emergence Strategies (ROLES) at the University of Tokyo, the Pacific Forum hosted the second session of the US-Japan Cyber Forum: Strengthening International Cooperation Through Cyber […]

PacNet #36 – How Biden can make the most of his Pacific Islands trip

An earlier version of this article was published in The Pacific Island Times. Later this month, President Biden is scheduled to make an official visit to Papua New Guinea while en route to the Quad Leaders’ Summit from the G7 Leaders’ Summit. The visit is being hailed as the first time that a sitting American […]