Andrew S. Erickson (U.S. Naval War College) and Adam P. Liff (Princeton University) assess trends in China’s defense spending within the wider context of China’s military development and transparency, as well as its broader strategic and national interests.

This week South Korea’s new president Park Geun-hye makes her first trip to the United States since assuming office in February. As tensions on the Korean peninsula continue to simmer, John S. Park (NBR) discusses several of the issues Madame Park and President Obama are likely to address during her visit.

With U.S. and NATO troops preparing to withdraw from Afghanistan by 2014, the influence in Central Asia of other international actors will become increasingly important for regional stability and security. NBR talked with Stephen Blank (Strategic Studies Institute) about what China’s and Russia’s roles are in Central Asia, how their rivalry and strategies have changed over the past decade, and how a diminished U.S. presence will affect this critical region.

In an interview with NBR, Raymond Vickery Jr. (Albright Stonebridge Group) discusses the budget’s key announcements and provides insights on its potential to spur economic growth and attract foreign direct investment. He argues that the 2013–14 budget differs in important ways from the one announced in March 2012.

In advance of the 2013 Pacific Energy Summit in Vancouver, Mark Thurber (Stanford University) discussed his research regarding the future of coal use in Asia given the development of North American unconventional gas production.

An acute ongoing energy crisis poses serious threats to Pakistan’s feeble economy and national security environment. Michael Kugelman (Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars) examines the origins of the country’s energy problems, prevailing hurdles to reform, and potential impact of the upcoming general elections.

In advance of the 2013 Pacific Energy Summit in Vancouver, Mary Alice Haddad (Wesleyan University) discussed her research on building environmental politics in China, Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea and the implications for other countries in the Asia-Pacific region.

NBR's Roy Kamphausen comments on the changes in China's military leadership following the conclusion of the 18th Party Congress, and examines the issues that this new slate of PLA leaders will encounter.

NBR spoke with Risaburo Nezu (Fujitsu Research Institute) about the outlook for Japan’s energy supply mix and the economic impact that the changes in energy policies could create.

To get more insight on the reforms needed to India’s healthcare, NBR spoke with Victoria Fan, a research fellow at the Center for Global Development who wrote her Harvard School of Public Health dissertation on health systems in India. Dr. Fan provides an assessment on the state of India’s health system, the potential for Universal Health Coverage, and how the changing nature of disease in India affects public health functions, among other key issues.