Heeding the High Call
for Health Security

Karagatan Observer

February 2022

The Indo-Pacific region continues to grapple with a myriad of issues amid the actions of great powers. After months of military buildup and prolonged negotiation, Russia invaded Ukraine in late February. Australia suffered a laser attack from China. The Philippines continues to scrutinize its presidential candidates and their platforms for long-term national security.

Quick Takes

Heeding the High Call for Health Security

Events

The Philippines’ Foreign Policy & National Security Ambitions for the Next Administration and Beyond

Peaches Lauren Vergara, Deryk Matthew Baladjay, and Julio Amador III

Apr 7
8 min

The Philippines’ Foreign Policy & National Security Ambitions for the Next Administration and Beyond

Photo Source: Pexels The late Professor Aileen Baviera made two important observations about Philippine foreign policy. First, she...

Bhramos Anti-Ship Missile Acquisition: First Step to Credible Deterrence

RAdm Rommel Jude G Ong (RET)

Mar 8
4 min

Bhramos Anti-Ship Missile Acquisition: First Step to Credible Deterrence

Photo Source: MissileThreat China’s incursion into Philippine waters has been an operational problem for the Philippine Navy (PN), since...

The Ukraine Crisis and the ‘West Philippine Sea’: The Necessity of Self-Defense in International Law

Julius Yano

Mar 5
5 min

The Ukraine Crisis and the ‘West Philippine Sea’: The Necessity of Self-Defense in International Law

There have been a number of comments in the domestic discourse on the Ukraine crisis – both on social media and mainstream media – but...

Relational stability between China and Japan, its fragility, and its consequences for East Asia

Antoine Roth

Mar 5
4 min

Relational stability between China and Japan, its fragility, and its consequences for East Asia

Photo Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan Ever since former Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo made the decision to offer...

South China Sea Disputants as Pawns in the U.S.-China Rivalry

Krista Wiegand

Feb 25
5 min

South China Sea Disputants as Pawns in the U.S.-China Rivalry

Source: VOA For small states like the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan, control of maritime features and parts of the...

Food Security: An Important Issue in the 2022 Election

Nathaniel Punongbayan Candelaria

Feb 21
5 min

Food Security: An Important Issue in the 2022 Election

National and local elections will be held on May 9, 2022. During this time, Filipinos will choose candidates at various levels to replace...

Foreign policy considerations for the next Philippine president

Mico Galang

Feb 14
7 min

Foreign policy considerations for the next Philippine president

Photo Source: ABSCBN News On May 9 the Philippines will elect its 17th President who will serve a six year-term starting on June 30....

Mary Ann Quirapas-Franco

Jan 28
6 min

Why Renewable Energy in Southeast Asia?

Photo by Jeremy Bezanger on Unsplash As the global population and economy grow, energy demand also increases. Southeast Asian countries...

Prospects for Cambodia’s chairing of ASEAN in 2022

Riko Watanabe

Jan 21
4 min

Prospects for Cambodia’s chairing of ASEAN in 2022

In October 2021, Sultan Bolkiah of Brunei handed over the chairmanship of ASEAN to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen. In 2022, ASEAN will...

Changes and Continuities in Japan’s Peacebuilding in Mindanao

Maria Thaemar C. Tana

Jan 10
5 min

Changes and Continuities in Japan’s Peacebuilding in Mindanao

Japan International Cooperation Agency and National Economic Development Authority signed a 771 yen grant aid to improve energy...

Heeding the High Call for Health Security

Ronald Law

Jan 4
4 min

Heeding the High Call for Health Security

Photo Source: Business Mirror As three seasons absurdly converge in the Philippines – emergencies and disaster, elections, the Holidays –...

Indo-Pacific Democratic Gains? The Philippines and the Era of Strategic Competition

Mark Angelo Locsin

Dec 16, 2021
4 min

Indo-Pacific Democratic Gains? The Philippines and the Era of Strategic Competition

The international system has seen its fair share of temporal conditions and specific circumstances that determine the attitudes of...

Onwards and upwards: The Philippines-US security alliance

Deryk Matthew Baladjay and Florence Principe Gamboa

Dec 10, 2021
6 min

Onwards and upwards: The Philippines-US security alliance

Photo Source: Manila Bulletin The Philippines-United States alliance has been in place for well over seven decades. As the Philippines’...

Good Cop, Bad Cop: The US-Philippine Alliance as a foreign policy priority

Matthew Uy and Dianne Mulingtapang

Dec 6, 2021
6 min

Good Cop, Bad Cop: The US-Philippine Alliance as a foreign policy priority

Photo Source: Rappler The United States (US) is an important ally to the Indo-Pacific region and the oldest for the Philippines. However,...

A Chinese Perspective on China’s Vaccine Diplomacy

Fan Dai

Dec 1, 2021
6 min

A Chinese Perspective on China’s Vaccine Diplomacy

Photo Source: The Star The COVID-19 pandemic outbreak towards the end of 2019 might be the first large-scale infectious disease that...

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