-(Foreign Affairs 19/4) The Case for Trump’s Foreign Policy: On almost every front, Trump has begun to correct the failures of the past eight years and position the United States well for the challenges to come.

-(Foreign Policy 18/4) Trump’s ‘Madman Theory’ Isn’t Strategic Unpredictability. It’s Just Crazy: What worked for the president on the campaign trail is now becoming his greatest foreign-policy weakness.

-(Foreign Policy 18/4) Is Trump’s Axis of Adults Beating Down the Cabal of Crazies? The commander-in-chief has taken a turn toward the rational, but don’t get too attached to it.

-(UPI 18/4) Taiwan to increase military presence on South China Sea island: A remote-controlled multiple rocket launcher with anti-landing capabilities would form the backbone of a coastal defense system at Ba Binh (Itu Aba) Island.

-(The Atlantic 18/4) How Did the Trump Administration Lose an Aircraft Carrier?The White House said the USS Carl Vinson was headed for North Korea as it sailed the opposite direction—the latest example of a communications failure inside the executive branch.

-(PhilStar 17/4) Philippines, US to hold military drills: The annual military exercises, known as Balikatan (Shoulder-to-Shoulder), will now go ahead in May, focusing on counter-terrorism and disaster response.

-(PhilStar 17/4) Ex-DFA chief cautions Palace on South China Sea statement: President Duterte’s statement on possibly selling Philippine islands in the South China Sea to China if the country gets “very rich” could send a dangerous message.

-(AMTI 17/4) Creating Facts on the Sea: China’s Plan to establish Sansha city: China’s behavior in the Paracels is important to analyze because of its role as a blueprint for developments in the Spratlys.

20120519231031_tau.jpg-(Sino 17/4) CNOOC seeks bids for South China Sea blocks: CNOOC, the largest offshore oil and gas producer in China, unveiled a tender on Wednesday inviting foreign companies to bid for 22 blocks in the northern part of the South China Sea.

-(Strait Times 16/4) US Vice-President Mike Pence's Asia-Pacific trip to give insight into US policy: The President himself may not be travelling to Asia very often, analysts say, which makes building a relationship with the Vice-President more important.