Pax Silica: The Cost of Being Chosen
Whether Pax Silica strengthens or weakens the geopolitical standing of the Philippines depends more on how Manila leverages its frontline role.
NIICE · 30 August 2026
Category: INDO-PACIFIC AFFAIRS
Beyond Strategy: Why Political Psychology Will Shape the Next 70 Years of Philippines-Japan Relations
Seventy years after establishing diplomatic relations, the Philippines and Japan have built one of Asia's most durable bilateral partnerships. The next seventy years, however, will demand…
NIICE · 28 August 2026
Dropping “Indo”: US Strategic Shift and India’s Response in the Indo-Pacific
On June 16, 2026, the Pentagon dropped "Indo" from INDOPACOM, reverting to the pre-2018 name Pacific Command.
NIICE · 28 July 2026
Japan’s Immigration Dilemma between Economic Need and Cultural Protection
Japan’s immigration framework diverges from a Western-style open-door policy. It embodies a unique regime of strict and conditional inclusion that treats foreign workers primarily through the…
NIICE · 16 July 2026
Beyond Maritime Cooperation: The Quad’s Security Architecture and India’s Strategic Opportunities and Way Forward?
Quad enables India to pursue its strategy of multi-alignment while preserving strategic autonomy.
NIICE · 1 July 2026
Balikatan 2026 and Fortified Multilateral Force in Indo-Pacific Region
The Philippines' previous lack of military capacity not only fostered dependence on the US but also raised concerns in Washington that the Philippines might leverage the…
NIICE · 10 June 2026
The Cross-Strait Pendulum: Navigating the New Normal in China-Taiwan Relations
The China-Taiwan relationship is not a problem to be "solved" in the short term, but a crisis to be "managed" indefinitely.
NIICE · 2 May 2026
Politics of Renaming Features and the South China Sea
Renaming features in the South China Sea is not a new phenomenon. This has been there at the onset; disputed countries have been renamed before to…
NIICE · 15 April 2026
Not One Inch: Continuity from Mao Zedong to Xi Jinping in China’s Maritime Manifest Destiny
While Mao’s foreign policy was often a struggle for the PRC's very existence, Xi’s strategy is a struggle for dominance, framed as the inevitable return to…
NIICE · 2 April 2026
Sri Lanka’s Strategic Neutrality: Denying U.S. Request for Combat Aircraft Landing
In standing firm on neutrality, Sri Lanka reaffirmed its commitment to peace, autonomy, and the avoidance of entanglement in military alliances, a choice that will shape…
NIICE · 21 March 2026