Latest Stories
Pakistan’s War on Balochistan Has Reached a Point of No Return
The arrest of Dr. Mahrang Baloch, the leader of the peaceful Baloch protest movement, has set the entire province aflame.
China’s Impatient State Capital Impedes the Innovations It Aims to Promote
China envisions a system of patient capital where investors are committed to supporting hard tech companies through high-risk, high-reward R&D. So far, it has had limited success.
Collateral Damage: UN Sanctions on North Korea at Risk in Putin-Trump Dealings
Neither Trump nor Putin has much incentive to address the North Korea issue, but leaving it off the table risks putting the nail in the coffin of the U.N.'s nonproliferation efforts.
Risky Business: Bridging the Insurance Gap in Australia
Australians facing steep insurance premium hikes in a world of disasters are sharing a global problem. The solutions are out there, but they are complex.
Constitutional Court Overturns Impeachment of South Korean Prime Minister
Ahead of the ruling on the South Korean president’s impeachment, the Constitutional Court overturned the impeachment of Han Duck-soo.
Concept of ‘Greater Mizoram’ Gets a Shot in the Arm From Myanmar’s Spring Revolution
The coming together of areas inhabited by communities in India’s Mizoram and Myanmar’s Chin State has New Delhi’s tacit support. Myanmar’s junta is not amused.
Most Read
What’s Behind the Constitutional Court’s Delayed Verdict on Yoon Suk-yeol’s Impeachment?
The Constitutional Court is taking longer than expected to issue its ruling. South Koreans are divided over how to interpret the delay.
China Watches, Taiwan Learns: Ukraine’s War and the Indo-Pacific
Over the course of a year-long study, we analyzed the campaign in Ukraine, comparing it with Taiwan’s military strategies and defense posture. Here’s what we found.
Tensions Rising in the Philippines After Former President Duterte’s ICC Arrest
The ex-leader may finally face justice for his bloody “war on drugs”, but the country he leaves behind is increasingly divided.
Magazine
Pakistan Under Shehbaz Sharif: The State of the Nation
With domestic politics gravely polarized, security increasingly fragile, and the economy barely stable, there is little sign of an end to Pakistan’s chronic dysfunction.
To Russia With Waning Love: Changing Migration Dynamics in Central Asia
Russia and Central Asia have been mutually shaped by decades of labor migration, but these long-running ties have begun to fray.
The New Age of Global Trade: Aggressive Neo-Mercantilism
International trade, with the U.S. and China at the forefront, is undergoing a paradigmatic shift away from free trade and toward an aggressive form of neo-mercantilism.
Misun Woo on Women’s Rights in the Asia-Pacific
“We need to ask why there hasn’t been much change to advance women’s human rights and end injustice?”
Blogs
China Power
A New World Order
China’s Impatient State Capital Impedes the Innovations It Aims to Promote
China envisions a system of patient capital where investors are committed to supporting hard tech companies through high-risk, high-reward R&D. So far, it has had limited success.
China’s New Economic Coercion Toolkit
Amid Panama Port Sale, China Demands Patriotism From Its Private Sector
China’s 2 Sessions: Slow Growth Collides With Tech Supremacy
Flashpoints
Diplomacy by Other Means
Collateral Damage: UN Sanctions on North Korea at Risk in Putin-Trump Dealings
Neither Trump nor Putin has much incentive to address the North Korea issue, but leaving it off the table risks putting the nail in the coffin of the U.N.'s nonproliferation efforts.
The ‘Reverse Kissinger’ Strategy Is Based on Bad History
The AI Superpower Rivalry: A Zero-sum Game Between China and the United States?
How Russia-US Talks on Ukraine Shake Taiwanese Confidence in America’s Commitment
Asia Defense
Militaries of the Asia-Pacific
Evolving Missile Technologies in India and Pakistan
New advances in missile technology risk undermining strategic stability in the region – and increasing the odds of conflict.
Navigating Uncertainty: Why Indonesia Needs a National Maritime Strategy
China’s Arms Imports Are Declining – But So Are Its Arms Exports
Japan to Pay First Visit to Cambodian Naval Base Funded by China
ASEAN Beat
Insights Into Half a Billion
French Diplomacy Lies Behind Delay in Cambodia Grenade Attack Trial
Two Cambodian generals are on trial in absentia for the bloody 1997 attack, which left at least 16 people dead.
Myanmar Junta Chief to Attend Regional Summit in Bangkok: Report
Can Philippine President Marcos Survive the Wrath of the Dutertes?
US Defense Chief to Visit Philippines Ahead of Joint Military Drills
The Pulse
Perspectives on South Asia
Concept of ‘Greater Mizoram’ Gets a Shot in the Arm From Myanmar’s Spring Revolution
The coming together of areas inhabited by communities in India’s Mizoram and Myanmar’s Chin State has New Delhi’s tacit support. Myanmar’s junta is not amused.
Breaking Decades of Silence, Sri Lanka Revisits the Batalanda Legacy
Erasing Aurangzeb to Marginalize Muslims: India’s ‘Grave’ Concern
Afghan Women, Erased From Public Life, Are Turning to Instagram
The Koreas
Divided Peninsula
Constitutional Court Overturns Impeachment of South Korean Prime Minister
Ahead of the ruling on the South Korean president’s impeachment, the Constitutional Court overturned the impeachment of Han Duck-soo.
What’s Behind the Constitutional Court’s Delayed Verdict on Yoon Suk-yeol’s Impeachment?
As Impeachment Verdict Nears, Yoon’s Public Support Remains Dismal
Ahead of South Korea’s Impeachment Verdict, Partisan Division Is Worsening
Tokyo Report
News From Japan
China’s ‘Malinformation’ Comes for Okinawa
China has been intensifying its information war against Japan's Achilles' heel – Okinawa.
Why Did Japan Cut Funding to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women?
Japan Appoints First Chief of New Joint Operations Command
At Fukushima Daiichi, Japan’s Unprecedented Nuclear Cleanup Continues
The Debate
Comment and Opinion
Pakistan’s War on Balochistan Has Reached a Point of No Return
The arrest of Dr. Mahrang Baloch, the leader of the peaceful Baloch protest movement, has set the entire province aflame.
Afghan Schools Reopen for Another Year Without Girls
What India Needs to do to Fix the Foundations of its WASH Sector
The Disappearance of Voice of America Is a Failure of American Values
Crossroads Asia
The New Silk Road
In the Face of Oppression, Feminist Resistance in Kazakhstan Persists
Kazakhstan’s feminist activists persist, despite formidable resistance from both the state and anti-feminist groups.
Mongolia’s Central Asia Connection: Kazakhstan
Concern in Mongolia After Police Raid on Independent News Outlet
Kazakhstan Buries Time Zone Issue
Trans-Pacific View
U.S. Policy on Asia
Vietnam’s Nuclear Energy Push Is a Strategic Opportunity For the US
The Trump administration has a golden opportunity to improve its relationship with a key Southeast Asian partner.
How Trump Is Bolstering China’s World View
Waste Not, Want Not: The Need for US Soft Power in the Indo-Pacific
Lawyer Extradited From Kyrgyzstan to California to Face Visa Fraud Charges
Pacific Money
Economy And Business
Betting on the Demise of Free Trade? Make Way for the New Players at the Table
While the future of multilateralism in trade remains uncertain, developing Asia is proving that the global trade order is still evolving.
Are Investors Pulling Out of Southeast Asia?
The Scandal at Indonesia’s State-Owned Energy Firm Pertamina, Explained
How US Companies in China Can Survive
Oceania
The South Pacific
Risky Business: Bridging the Insurance Gap in Australia
Australians facing steep insurance premium hikes in a world of disasters are sharing a global problem. The solutions are out there, but they are complex.
In the Face of Disengagement and Distrust: Civics Education in Australia Is Critical
Half-truths and Lies: An Online Day in Australia
America or Europe? Why Trump’s Ukraine U-turn Is a Fork in the Road for New Zealand
Videos
Asia on Video
What’s Driving Taiwan’s Mass Protests?
Chiang Min-yen, a non-resident fellow at the Taiwan Economic Democracy Union, joins The Diplomat to discuss the concerns over the bill, the China factor, and what comes next.
What’s Behind Vietnam’s Political Upheaval?
The Danger of China’s Digital Silk Road
What Will China’s Shift From Oil Mean for Saudi Arabia and Russia?
Podcasts
Asia Geopolitics
Trump, Tariffs, and America’s Global Messaging
The Asia Geopolitics podcast discusses the latest developments in Washington and their implications for Asia policy.
Duterte in The Hague: The Philippines and the Geopolitics of International Law
Is the United States Relitigating Its Grand Strategy?
DeepSeek and the AI Competition
Photo Essays
Asia in Pictures
The Untold Stories of Peshawar’s Gemstone Market at Namak Mandi
Pakistan’s largest and most important gemstone and mineral market is deeply intertwined with the region’s borders, conflict, and undocumented economies.