Follow us on social

Shutterstock_2252996863-scaled

NATO foray into Asia risks driving China and Russia closer together

A new Tokyo bureau will be the first of its kind, further cementing the alliance’s shift toward the region.

Asia-Pacific

NATO plans to open a liaison office in Japan to coordinate relations with Tokyo and other friendly powers in the Indo-Pacific, according to a new report from Nikkei Asia.

The office, which will be the first of its kind in the region, represents a notable step in NATO’s shift toward confronting China, which officially began last year when the alliance formally identified Beijing as a threat. 

As the Guardian noted, the move is likely to further increase tensions between the West and China, which has often expressed concern over potential NATO inroads in Asia. It also risks driving concerns from alliance members that favor a less confrontational approach with Beijing, according to George Beebe of the Quincy Institute.

“When you go out of area, you're going to inevitably raise concerns inside the alliance about what the alliance's priorities ought to be,” Beebe argued, noting that the office could “exacerbate differences between the United States and some Europeans about how to deal with China.”

It remains unclear who will pay for the office. According to Nikkei, the one-person bureau, which is expected to open next year, will lead periodic consultations between NATO and its Pacific partners, including Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, and Australia.

The decision to open the office highlights Japan’s interest in deepening cooperation with NATO. Notably, Tokyo also plans to open a separate diplomatic mission to NATO in Belgium in order to further promote its ties with the alliance.

In recent years, NATO has also stood up liaison offices in Ukraine, Georgia, Kuwait, and Moldova.

As Professor Michito Tsuruoka of Keio University told Nikkei, the move emphasizes NATO’s view that China and Russia are becoming increasingly close. “In addition to the problems China poses by itself, a new dimension has been added: that of China as a supporter of Russia. This now becomes directly related to Europe's security,” Tsuruoka said.

But Beebe worries that these concerns could turn into a self-fulfilling prophecy. “There's a grave risk that NATO moving into Asian Affairs is likely to bring Russia and China even closer together into what could amount to a de facto alliance between the two of them against what they see as a common Western or NATO enemy,” he said. “I don't think that's in the interest of the United States or Europe to encourage.”


(Shutterstock/ Andy.LIU)
Asia-Pacific
Steve Witkoff Donald Trump Israel
Top photo credit: President Donald Trump walks out with Steve Witkoff after taking part in bilateral meetings at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City, Tuesday, September 23, 2025. (Official White House Photo by Daniel Torok)

Gaza plan: Looks Like peace, acts like occupation

Middle East

In Deir al-Balah, a mother told me her son now counts the seconds between blasts. Policy, to her, isn’t a debate; it’s whether trucks arrive and the night is quiet. Donald Trump’s 20-point plan promises ceasefire, hostages home, Israeli withdrawal, and reconstruction. It sounds complete. It isn’t.

Without enforceable mechanics, maps, timelines, phased verification, and real local ownership; it risks being a short-lived show, not a durable peace.

keep readingShow less
Van Jones
Top image credit: screen grab via https://www.youtube.com/@RealTime

Van Jones found out: Gaza dead baby jokes aren't funny

Media

On Friday, Van Jones joked about kids dying in Gaza.

“If you open your phone, and all you see is dead Gaza baby, dead Gaza baby, dead Gaza baby, Diddy,” Jones said on Bill Maher’s ‘Real Time’ HBO program.

keep readingShow less
Xi Jinping Donald Trump Vladimir Putin
Top image credit: Frederic Legrand - COMEO, Joey Sussman, miss.cabul via shutterstock.com

Why Trump won't get Afghanistan's Bagram base back

Middle East

In a September 20 Truth Social post, President Trump threatened the Taliban, declaring, “If Afghanistan doesn’t give Bagram Airbase back… BAD THINGS ARE GOING TO HAPPEN!!” He now wants the military base he once negotiated away as part of the U.S. withdrawal agreement his first administration signed in 2019.

Not unexpectedly, the Taliban quickly refused, noting “under the Doha Agreement, the United States pledged that ‘it will not use or threaten force against the territorial integrity or political independence of Afghanistan, nor interfere in its internal affairs.’” And with China now deeply entrenched in post-war Afghanistan, it’s likely Beijing will ensure that the threat remains little more than another off-the-cuff comment that should not be taken literally nor seriously.

keep readingShow less

LATEST

QIOSK

Newsletter

Subscribe now to our weekly round-up and don't miss a beat with your favorite RS contributors and reporters, as well as staff analysis, opinion, and news promoting a positive, non-partisan vision of U.S. foreign policy.