Part of Indo-Pacific Security
Challenges in South and Central Asia
The Indo-Pacific Security Program explores China’s growing role in South and Central Asia and what it means for democratic trends as well as maintaining a free and open regional order that preserves each nation’s sovereignty and independence. The Program explores whether China and Russia will increasingly compete and/or cooperate for influence in Central Asia and the implications for the United States. In addition, the Program explores how to protect Afghan civil society and human rights and thwart continued terrorism threats emanating from the region.
Highlights
- Tangled Threats: Integrating U.S. Strategies toward China and North Korea
China and North Korea pose intertwined challenges for U.S. and allied policy. The Korean Peninsula constitutes just one area among many in U.S.-China relations. Meanwhile, iss...
By Jacob Stokes
- Renew, Elevate, Modernize: A Blueprint for a 21st-Century U.S.-ROK Alliance Strategy
The U.S.-South Korean alliance has the potential to play a central role in bolstering a rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond....
By Kristine Lee, Joshua Fitt & Coby Goldberg
- Risk Realism
In a new report, Dr. Van Jackson argues that while pursuing North Korean denuclearization is ideal for U.S. national interests, it is no longer realistic for the near-term fut...
By Van Jackson
Recent Publications
- Assessing the Terror Threat Landscape in South and Central Asia and Examining Opportunities for Cooperation
By Lisa Curtis
- June 26, 2025
Indo-Pacific Security /Energy, Economics & Security
What Will North Korean Cybercrime Look Like in 2022?By Jason Bartlett
- The Diplomat
- December 22, 2021
- Duyeon Kim testifies before European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs
By Dr. Duyeon Kim
- December 3, 2021
- China’s New Land Borders Law Is a Nightmare for North Korean Refugees
By Jason Bartlett
- Commentary
- The Diplomat
- October 29, 2021
- The Two Koreas’ Recent Arms Displays Are Sending Very Different Messages
By Dr. Duyeon Kim
- World Politics Review
- October 21, 2021
Related Events
Fireside Chat | Deputy U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Jung Pak on the Biden Administration’s Approach
Mar 10, 2022
Virtual Fireside Chat: India, China, and the Quad: The Future of U.S. Strategy in the Indo-Pacific
Richard Fontaine, Lisa Curtis, Demetri Sevastopulo
Feb 10, 2021
U.S. Rebalance to Asia: A Status Report
Apr 16, 2015
Related Press
Years After Historic Summits, Trump Faces an Emboldened North Korea
Donald Trump has long touted his relationship with Kim Jong Un, but if the U.S. president-elect seeks another summit he will find a North Korean leader emboldened by an expand...
Explainer: S.Korea sees peace declaration as key to restarting N.Korea talks
In a last-ditch attempt to restart talks with North Korea before his term ends next year, South Korean President Moon Jae-in is calling for a declaration that could eventually...
North Korea Restores South Korea Hotline Cut for Two Months
North Korea restored a hotline with South Korea it had left silent for about two months, a gesture of reconciliation after Pyongyang’s tests of new weapons designed to strike ...












