Latest Stories
Unraveling Mongolia’s Prime Minister Resignation Protests
While the surface trigger was a display of wealth by the prime minister’s family, the root cause is deep-seated tension over corruption, inequality, and development.
Inside Kim Jong Un’s Threat Perception
Understanding North Korea’s view of South Korea-U.S. extended deterrence sheds light on the security dilemma.
Amid the Devastating Cuts to US Aid, Can Australia Step up?
Local staff and their partners face the greatest challenges from reduced U.S. funding. Australia should focus its efforts here.
From Rhetoric to Reality: China-Russia Cooperation in the Arctic Accelerates
What began as political signaling is now becoming reality.
At Summit With GCC and ASEAN, China’s Maritime Ambitions Complicate Its Trade Alliance Plans
Beijing will attend the ASEAN-China-GCC summit in the hopes of forging new commercial partnerships against U.S. tariffs, but a recent white paper doubling down on its South China Sea claims will deter ASEAN leaders.
Could Trump’s Deals in the Middle East Secure US Influence Against China?
The agreements signed during Trump’s tour satisfy the Gulf’s strategic interests in ways China cannot. But will the reality live up to the hype?
Most Read
Are India-US Relations Entering a Difficult Phase?
Trump’s re-hyphenation of New Delhi and Islamabad – a reversal of the de-hyphenation policy started by Bush – is a serious setback to the India-U.S. partnership.
The 2nd Genocide of the Rohingya
Photos and survivor testimonies underscore how violence in Rakhine State is creating a new wave of death, trauma, and displacement.
Pakistan Comes Out Emboldened After Clashes With India
Pakistan has established its own "new normal" with India, indicating that it will retaliate to India’s actions with resolve and firepower.
Magazine
Vicky Davis on Remembering World War II in Central Asia
“As the importance of Victory Day in Central Asia decreases, it is needed even more in Moscow to promote and validate the war in Ukraine.”
Mapping Coal Phaseouts in Key Asian Markets
Coal is on its last gasp – only legacy energy sector policy stands in the way of a self-reliant, self-sustaining future.
China-US AI Technology Competition: Who’s Winning in Key Inputs?
Energy, rare earth elements, and talent: these critical inputs face vastly different structures in the two countries and may determine the pace and scale of AI innovation.
The Fall of Saigon: The Day Domino Theory Died
Fifty years after the communist victory in Vietnam, the old domino theory seems to have been definitively replaced by a deeper conflict determined by history, power, and geography.
Blogs
China Power
A New World Order
At Summit With GCC and ASEAN, China’s Maritime Ambitions Complicate Its Trade Alliance Plans
Beijing will attend the ASEAN-China-GCC summit in the hopes of forging new commercial partnerships against U.S. tariffs, but a recent white paper doubling down on its South China Sea claims will deter ASEAN leaders.
China Is Gearing up for a Post-War Ukraine
Beyond Geopolitics: The Domestic Drivers of China-Iran Cooperation on the Belt and Road Initiative
China’s Soft Power Play in North Korea
Flashpoints
Diplomacy by Other Means
Asia Defense
Militaries of the Asia-Pacific
Inside Kim Jong Un’s Threat Perception
Understanding North Korea’s view of South Korea-U.S. extended deterrence sheds light on the security dilemma.
The Rumored Chinese Submarine Transfer from Thailand to Cambodia Is Unfounded
EU Proposes Security Partnership With Australia
Wellington Koo, Taiwan’s Civilian Defense Minister: One Year in Review
ASEAN Beat
Insights Into Half a Billion
The Time Is Right for Myanmar Dialogue, Malaysia’s Anwar Says
Ahead of next week's ASEAN Summit, the Malaysian leader has hailed the “remarkable progress" in efforts to end the country's civil war.
Thai Court Orders Former PM Yingluck Shinawatra to Pay Rice Scheme Damages
How Vietnam’s Communist Party Manipulates History for Political Gain
Will a China-US Tug of War Ensue Over Rakhine State?
The Pulse
Perspectives on South Asia
The Future of Decentralized Energy in Pakistan
Pakistan’s off-grid solar boom holds immense promise. But without strategic guidance and integrated policy, it risks reinforcing inequality instead of resolving it.
When India and Pakistan Went to War – Online
Decoding India’s Outreach to the Taliban
India-Pakistan Crisis: Sri Lanka Navigates Neutrality Amid Strategic Anxieties
The Koreas
Divided Peninsula
Campaigning With a Bulletproof Vest: Political Violence and Polarization in South Korea
After surviving a stabbing and appearing on a coup arrest list, South Korea’s presidential frontrunner now campaigns behind bulletproof glass – exposing deeper political polarization and growing threats to democratic stability.
The Top Priority for South Korea’s Next President
South Korea’s 2025 Election: A Test for Gender Equality
Beyond Yoon: The Breakdown of Rule of Law in Korea
Tokyo Report
News From Japan
Japan’s Response to Trump’s Tariffs
Instead of opting to promote the global spread of protectionism, Japan and the region must choose to defend and strengthen free trade.
California Just Overtook Japan’s Economy: A Wake-up Call for Japanese Policymakers
Richard Armitage, Joseph Nye, and the Future of the Japan-US Alliance
How Japan’s $1.1 Trillion in US Treasuries Became a Strategic Lever in the New Tariff War
The Debate
Comment and Opinion
Amid the Devastating Cuts to US Aid, Can Australia Step up?
Local staff and their partners face the greatest challenges from reduced U.S. funding. Australia should focus its efforts here.
Building Bridges With English: Mongolia’s Strategic Language Investment
Will ASEAN’s New Industrial Era Bring Growth or Division?
How Beijing’s 1995 Disappearance of the Panchen Lama Enabled Crimes Against Humanity
Crossroads Asia
The New Silk Road
Unraveling Mongolia’s Prime Minister Resignation Protests
While the surface trigger was a display of wealth by the prime minister’s family, the root cause is deep-seated tension over corruption, inequality, and development.
After Protests Force a Shake-up, Who Would Become Mongolia’s Next Prime Minister?
Kyrgyzstan: Incoming Peace Corps Cohort Cancelled Last Minute
Securing Uzbekistan’s Water Future
Trans-Pacific View
U.S. Policy on Asia
Could Trump’s Deals in the Middle East Secure US Influence Against China?
The agreements signed during Trump’s tour satisfy the Gulf’s strategic interests in ways China cannot. But will the reality live up to the hype?
US Commerce Department Gets Green Light for Southeast Asian Solar Tariffs
Thailand’s Finance Minister Says It Wants Fair Trade Relationship With Washington
Singapore’s Extra Large Order of Chips
Pacific Money
Economy And Business
How China-US Rivalry Reshaped South Korea’s Beauty Industry
South Korea’s cosmetics sector is a case study in navigating the market upheaval caused by China-U.S. competition.
The Tariff War Revealed the Depth of China-US Trade Dependence
China, France, and the Political Economy of Defense Modernization in Southeast Asia
Why China-US Trade Talks May Not Lead to a Comprehensive Deal
Oceania
The South Pacific
A Look Beyond Seats: How Independents Are Gaining Ground in Australia
The overall combined primary vote for Australia’s major parties has continued to decline, opening space for independents to make gains.
The Strategic Consequences of the Liberal-National Coalition Split in Australia
As Liberals’ New Leader, Sussan Ley Makes History – But Faces Unprecedented Difficulties
As Pacific Islands Caution Against Seabed Mining, the US Prepares to Trash the Rules
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
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.