Diplomat Risk Intelligence
Insights Today – for Tomorrow
Diplomat Risk Intelligence offers you dedicated access to an exclusive network of subject matter experts on geopolitical, security, economic, and political trends covering the wider Asia-Pacific region.
Research Notes
Published by Diplomat Risk Intelligence, Research Notes
offer actionable insight to strategic decision-makers seeking to understand political risk and economic
trends in Asia.
August 17, 2022
China Growth Slows with Covid Restrictions and Real Estate Crisis Weakening Demand
August 9, 2022
Pelosi Visits Taiwan and China Responds: Welcome to the New Normal
July 28, 2022
South Asia in Turmoil: The Crisis in Sri Lanka Reaches a Boiling Point, While Bangladesh Requests Help from the IMF
July 18, 2022
Violence in Karakalpakstan Is a Blow to Image of “New Uzbekistan” and Efforts to Court Foreign Investment
Magazine
M
August 01, 2022
The Guadalcanal Campaign: Then and Now
By Robert Farley
Eighty years after the Guadalcanal Campaign, Solomon Islands has once again drawn U.S. strategic interest.

August 01, 2022
Undelivered Promises: Life in Kashmir After Article 370
By Ritu Mahendru
Three years after the Modi government struck down Kashmir’s special status, the Valley has only grown more volatile.

August 01, 2022
Southeast Asia’s Sinking Megacities
By Nicholas Muller
The coastal cities of Bangkok, Jakarta, and Ho Chi Minh City battle a common existential threat.

August 01, 2022
Funding Myanmar’s Spring Revolution
By Zachary Abuza
War isn’t cheap. How has the National Unity Government funded itself – and its military efforts?
Blogs
China Power
A New World Order
P
August 19, 2022
How Pelosi’s Visit to Taiwan Drove Chinese Public Opinion Toward Reunification by Force
By Leo Chu
Since Pelosi’s visit, the future of the cross-strait issue has surged toward military conflict, as the Chinese public started to dismiss the possibility of peaceful reunification.
August 18, 2022
China’s Anger Over Pelosi Visit Will Further Alienate Taiwanese
August 17, 2022
The War in Ukraine Is Not a Watershed in China-EU Relations – Yet
August 16, 2022
Following China’s Military Drills, Taiwan Settles Into New Normal
Flashpoints
Diplomacy by Other Means
F
August 19, 2022
China’s Digital Inroads in the Global South
By Bryce C. Barros and Nathan Kohlenberg
China’s party-state is deepening its hold on the digital information ecosystems of developing countries.
August 16, 2022
How ‘Third Way’ Countries Live With COVID-19
August 13, 2022
Which Asian Countries Support China in the Taiwan Strait Crisis – and Which Don’t?
August 13, 2022
India’s New Small Satellite Launch Vehicle Fails
Asia Defense
Militaries of the Asia-Pacific
D
August 20, 2022
How Would Japan Respond to a Taiwan Contingency?
By Kosuke Takahashi
National preparedness for a cross-strait emergency has been far behind what is necessary.
August 19, 2022
Europe in the Indo-Pacific: Germany and France Flex Their Muscles
August 19, 2022
India Sending Troops to Russian Vostok 2022 Exercise
August 17, 2022
South Korea, US to Begin Expanded Military Drills Next Week
ASEAN Beat
Insights Into Half a Billion
B
August 20, 2022
Cambodia Says It’s Helping Foreigners Tricked and Enslaved by Traffickers
By Sopheng Cheang
Interior Minister Sar Kheng said his ministry is launching a nationwide check of all foreigners in Cambodia amid increasing reports of forced labor and abuse.
August 19, 2022
Myanmar’s Executions Have Turned the Country’s Struggle Into a Zero-Sum Game
August 17, 2022
Thailand’s Restive South Hit by Wave of Arson and Bombings
August 17, 2022
Indonesian Leader Calls for Unity, Braces for Global Crises
The Pulse
Perspectives on South Asia
P
August 19, 2022
What’s Wrong With the Indian Government’s Narrative on Refugees?
By Arkoprabho Hazra
Narrative-building as part of the 75th independence celebrations suggests India as a welcoming place for refugees. The reality is much different.
August 19, 2022
Indian Woman Condemns Release of Her Convicted Rapists
August 19, 2022
Kabul Mosque Bombed, At Least 21 Dead
August 18, 2022
Nepal’s Holy Bagmati River Choked With Black Sewage, Trash
The Koreas
Divided Peninsula
K
August 19, 2022
North Korea Trashes Yoon’s ‘Audacious Initiative’ for Denuclearization
By Mitch Shin
Calling Seoul’s offer “an absurd dream,” Kim Yo Jong derided the South Korean president with North Korean-style insults.
August 18, 2022
Kim Jong Un’s Changing Public Persona
August 17, 2022
North Korea Fires 2 Cruise Missiles Toward Yellow Sea
August 17, 2022
Is South Korea’s President Yoon Really ‘Tough on China’?
Tokyo Report
News From Japan
R
August 20, 2022
Preparation for Abe’s State Funeral Proceeds Amid Growing Public Opposition
By Jio Kamata
As former PM Abe Shinzo’s state funeral – Japan’s first in 55 years – inches closer, more and more Japanese are turning against the idea.
August 18, 2022
China, Japan Officials Meet Amid Taiwan Tensions
August 13, 2022
What Will Kishida Say on August 15 at Japan’s National Memorial Ceremony for the War Dead?
August 12, 2022
The Japan-US Alliance Embraces the Economic
The Debate
Comment and Opinion
D
August 19, 2022
How Lese Majeste Laws Are Eroding Free Speech in Southeast Asia
By Samantha Holmes
Lese majeste laws are irreconcilable with freedom of expression.
August 17, 2022
The ICC Must Engage With Myanmar’s Democratic Government and Hold the Junta to Account
August 17, 2022
Western Disengagement Will Turn Afghanistan Into a Pariah State
August 15, 2022
A Year After Taliban Takeover, Afghanistan’s Economy Is Still in Crisis – and So Are Its Children
Crossroads Asia
The New Silk Road
A
August 17, 2022
Swiss Agree to Return $131 Million to Uzbekistan Via UN Trust Fund
By Catherine Putz
Swiss and Uzbek officials agreed to the restitution of assets seized from Gulnara Karimova to Uzbekistan via a U.N.-managed trust fund.
August 12, 2022
Uzbek Government Warns Citizens in Russia Against Joining Ukraine War
August 11, 2022
Why Was the UN Secretary General Planting Trees in Mongolia?
August 09, 2022
Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan Inch Closer to Settling Border
Trans-Pacific View
U.S. Policy on Asia
V
August 15, 2022
Why AI Is the New Frontier in China-US Competition
By James Borton
With China well-placed to take advantage of these potentially lucrative innovations, Washington must leverage AI in its infrastructural plans for the future.
August 05, 2022
The Strategic Logic of Nancy Pelosi’s Visit to Taiwan
August 04, 2022
China Tensions Are Deepening South Korea-US Economic Coordination
August 02, 2022
US Congress Reaffirms Ties With India
Pacific Money
Economy And Business
M
August 17, 2022
Potential Logistical and Operational Costs of a China-Taiwan Conflict
By Sara Hsu
Half of the global container fleet passed through the Taiwan Strait this year, making it a critical waterway for global supply chains.
August 09, 2022
Why Does Indonesia’s Bank Jago Have Such a High Valuation?
August 06, 2022
Pacific Rim Economies in Doldrums, Sapped by Inflation, War
August 02, 2022
Rodrigo Duterte’s Economic Legacy in the Philippines
Oceania
The South Pacific
O
August 20, 2022
What’s Behind China’s Recent Messaging to Australia?
By Sascha-Dominik Dov Bachmann
Recent remarks by Ambassador Xiao Qian should be read not as pure diplomacy, but rather as “political work” in line with China’s strategic doctrine.
August 18, 2022
Former Australia PM Says Secret Powers Were Needed in Crisis
August 16, 2022
AUKUS Door Held Ajar for New Zealand
August 15, 2022
Why Fixing Australia’s Housing Crisis Should Be a National Priority
Videos
Asia on Video
V
August 09, 2022
Indonesia’s Plans for the G-20
Rizal Sukma, Shafiah F. Muhibat, and I Gede Wahyu Wicaksana discuss Indonesia's foreign policy strategy as Jakarta prepares to host the G-20 summit later this year.
June 30, 2022
What Do the Pacific Island Countries Think About China?
May 12, 2022
Russia-Ukraine War: The Economic Impact for the Asia-Pacific
April 21, 2022
What’s Driving Pakistan’s Political Crisis?
Podcasts
Asia Geopolitics
P
August 17, 2022
A Fourth Taiwan Strait Crisis or an Inflection Point for the Status Quo?
By Ankit Panda and Catherine Putz
What do the events of early August 2022 in the Taiwan Strait portend for the future of the Asia-Pacific?
July 27, 2022
No End in Sight: 18 Months of Military Rule in Myanmar
July 20, 2022
Sri Lanka’s Future May Not Be All That Bleak
July 19, 2022
Abe Shinzo’s Enduring Legacy on Geopolitics in Asia
Photo Essays
Asia in Pictures
E
July 26, 2022
Sri Lanka’s New President Cracks Down on Protests as Challenges Mount
By Luke Hunt
Ranil Wickremesinghe's use of troops to dismantle protest camps in Colombo sends out a chilling message.