Ralph Cossa - The Japan Times

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Ralph Cossa

For Ralph Cossa's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:

COMMENTARY

Dec 6, 2001

Taiwan's Lee 'flexes strength'

TAIPEI -- "The KMT is still the biggest opposition party in the legislature." With these words, Kuomintang party chairman Lien Chan tried, unconvincingly, to put a positive spin on the former ruling party's disastrous showing in last weekend's legislative elections in Taiwan.

COMMENTARY

Nov 30, 2001

Pyongyang's missed chances

HONOLULU -- North Korea never misses an opportunity to miss an opportunity. The latest example occurred last week when Pyongyang precipitated yet another breakdown in the North-South dialogue process, thus dealing a staggering blow to South Korean President Kim Dae Jung's beleaguered "sunshine policy" of engagement with the North.

COMMENTARY

Nov 1, 2001

Is China the odd man out?

HONOLULU -- China seems very pleased with the outcome of the George W. Bush-Jiang Zemin presidential summit held Oct. 19 in Shanghai on the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders' meeting -- not because a great deal was accomplished, but because Jiang's definition of what constituted a "successful" meeting was extremely modest.

COMMENTARY

Aug 31, 2001

New approach for N. Korea

HONOLULU -- It's time for Washington and Seoul to try a new approach with North Korea. It's time to do . . . absolutely nothing!

COMMENTARY

Aug 16, 2001

Missed chance at Yasukuni

Japan's neighbors are expressing great indignation over Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's Aug. 13 visit to the Yasukuni Shrine, where the spirits of 14 convicted World War II war criminals are enshrined among some 2.5 million of Japan's war dead over the past two centuries. His decision to go early, rather than on Aug. 15 -- the 56th anniversary of Japan's World War II surrender -- has done little to temper the criticism of those at home and abroad who did not want him to visit (while also upsetting visit supporters, who see the date change as caving in to China and South Korea).

COMMENTARY

Aug 1, 2001

Dialogue welcome and needed

HONOLULU -- When it comes to U.S. missile defense, the Chinese remain unconvinced -- and unconvincing. Despite numerous attempts by Washington to reassure Beijing that it is not the intended target -- the latest coming this past weekend during Secretary of State Colin Powell's visit to China -- Chinese leaders still find U.S. missile defense plans unacceptable. There's only one small problem with Beijing's unyielding approach: China's acceptance is not required. Nor is Washington compelled to take Beijing's concerns into account, especially if Chinese leaders refuse to enter into a constructive dialogue on this issue.

COMMENTARY

Jul 29, 2001

U.S. Asian policy takes shape

HONOLULU -- Slowly but surely, the Bush administration's Asia policy is taking shape. And, some changes in emphasis and approach notwithstanding, it shows a great deal of continuity with Clinton administration policy objectives. The U.S.-Japan relationship remains the "linchpin" of U.S. security strategy in Asia, as it has for the past 40 years (despite occasional bouts of "Japan bashing" or "Japan passing").

COMMENTARY

Jul 17, 2001

In search of a new slogan

"Are you an American?""Yes!""What did you think about last night's decision on the Olympics?"

COMMENTARY

Jul 14, 2001

Now it's North Korea's turn

It was with some trepidation that Koreans on both sides of the demilitarized zone watched the Bush administration come to power, given the more "hardline" position many Congressional Republicans had taken over the years regarding North Korea. However, the outcome of the administration's finally completed Korea policy is, on the whole, quite balanced and not significantly different in terms of overall objectives from those pursued by the Clinton administration.

COMMENTARY

Jun 30, 2001

Time for a strategic dialogue

HONOLULU -- Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi will have a lot to talk about with U.S. President George W. Bush when the two meet for the first time at Camp David this weekend. High on the agenda should be the initiation of a strategic dialogue aimed at redefining the U.S.-Japan security relationship.

COMMENTARY

Jun 10, 2001

Restarting Korean peace talks

Stop blowing up the balloons. Put away the ribbons and confetti. There is unlikely to be any major celebrations as we mark the first anniversary of the historic June 13-15, 2000 summit meeting in Pyongyang between South Korean President Kim Dae Jung and North Korean chairman Kim Jong Il.

COMMENTARY

May 14, 2001

Thinking flexibly about 'independence'

U.S. President George W. Bush, in an attempt to defuse tensions with Beijing after his assertion last week that America would do "whatever it takes" to help Taiwan defend itself, quickly reaffirmed the "one-China" policy. In comments directed toward Taipei, he pointedly asserted, "I certainly hope Taiwan adheres to the one-China policy. And a declaration of independence is not the one-China policy." This caveat is critically important to Beijing, which remains suspicious that "independence" is Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian's (and perhaps America's) true objective.

COMMENTARY

May 3, 2001

Bush administration's Asian policy gets off to a rocky start

HONOLULU -- The Bush administration's first 100 days have been rocky ones as far as Asia policy is concerned. The positive spin emanating from President George W. Bush's initial meeting with Chinese Vice Premier Qian Qichen quickly degenerated into a potential tailspin in Sino-U.S. relations after the mid-air collision between a Chinese jet fighter and a U.S. reconnaissance plane over the South China Sea.

COMMENTARY

Apr 18, 2001

The crew's home; now what?

HONOLULU -- The release of the crew of the American EP-3E reconnaissance plane from Chinese "protective custody" may have defused the crisis but hardly represents the end of this affair. Meetings are now under way between U.S. and Chinese officials to deal with the aftereffects. While both sides agree that much remains to be resolved, each sees the problem differently.

COMMENTARY

Apr 5, 2001

Collision tests U.S.-China ties

The collision between a Chinese Air Force fighter and a U.S. reconnaissance aircraft in international airspace over the South China Sea represents an unfortunate, unplanned, but nonetheless important test of the maturity of the Sino-U.S. relationship and of the Chinese leadership. Thus far, Beijing appears to be flunking the test.

COMMENTARY

Mar 19, 2001

U.S.-South Korea summit a good start

South Korean President Kim Dae Jung's Washington summit meeting with U.S. President George W. Bush was not the unqualified success Kim had hoped for, but he did accomplish his primary objectives. As expected and desired, Bush endorsed Kim's Sunshine Policy of reconciliation and cooperation with North Korea, praising Kim for his "vision" in beginning a dialogue with Pyongyang. Bush also reaffirmed the U.S.-South Korea security relationship and the U.S.-South Korea-Japan trilateral dialogue process aimed at coordinating policies toward North Korea.

COMMENTARY

Feb 28, 2001

Alleviating anxiety in Seoul

SEOUL -- On the surface, U.S.-South Korean relations have seldom seemed better. Last fall's contentious issues -- negotiations over revisions to the Status of Forces Agreement and over South Korean missile-development plans -- were settled amicably. The new U.S. administration has firmly endorsed the alliance. South Korean President Kim Dae Jung is expected to be the first Asian leader to visit President George W. Bush in Washington, on March 7. (Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori was invited to come a few days earlier but apparently can't make the trip.) In addition, the administration has pledged its support for Kim's North-South reconciliation effort and promised to continue its own dialogue with Pyongyang.

COMMENTARY

Feb 26, 2001

U.S. Navy must come clean

Did prospects for improved Japan-U.S. relations sink with the Ehime Maru off Waikiki two weeks ago? Probably not, but the reaction to what all agree was a tragic accident demonstrates the fragility of the alliance and the need for the more sensitive "American leadership without arrogance" promised by U.S. President George W. Bush upon his inauguration.

COMMENTARY

Feb 17, 2001

Filling in Bush's Asia policy

With one notable exception, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell's Senate confirmation testimony outlining the Bush administration's Asia policy signaled a remarkable degree of continuity. Powell identified America's bilateral-alliance network, and particularly the U.S.-Japan relationship, as the bedrock from which all else in Asia flows -- this was stated policy during the Clinton administration as well, even if it occasionally suffered in its implementation. Powell also reiterated America's "one China" policy, with the caveat that "we expect and demand a peaceful settlement, acceptable to people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait." Like its predecessors, the Bush administration will not support unilateral attempts by either side to alter the status quo and will not tolerate any attempt by Beijing to force a solution unacceptable to the people of Taiwan.

COMMENTARY

Feb 3, 2001

Is Asian democracy at risk?

Is democracy in trouble in Asia? From the removal of an elected president by less than constitutional means in the Philippines to an attempt to remove another sitting president in Taiwan to questions concerning the eligibility of the presumptive prime minister in Thailand to a near-coup by the ruling party in Japan and "premature lame duckism" in South Korea to disturbing political instability in Asia's newest and most fragile democracy, Indonesia, the democratic process seems under attack -- and many point to last fall's events in Florida to argue that, even after over 200 years, kinks remain.

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