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Cen Yuying: ‘The Cruel Viceroy’

Cen Yuying: ‘The Cruel Viceroy’

By David Leffman

To the British, he was a “chief criminal.” To the Chinese, his legacy is more complex.

6 Dead in Indonesia Post-Election Protest

6 Dead in Indonesia Post-Election Protest

By Agoes Rudianto

A mass protest against Indonesia’s presidential poll result turned violent – and deadly.

How Developed Is Modi’s Model Village?

How Developed Is Modi’s Model Village?

By Avinash Giri

Nagepur is one of the four villages Modi “adopted” under a new development scheme. How is it faring?

China’s GMO Paradox

China’s GMO Paradox

By Eugene K. Chow

For all its power, the Chinese government can’t get people to trust genetically modified crops.

Can Pakistan Protect CPEC?

Can Pakistan Protect CPEC?

By Muhammad Akbar Notezai

An attack on a luxury hotel in the heart of Gwadar proves that Pakistan's military-centric approach is failing.

Is Sri Lanka Really a Victim of China’s ‘Debt Trap’?

Is Sri Lanka Really a Victim of China’s ‘Debt Trap’?

By Umesh Moramudali

Sri Lanka’s debt crisis and Chinese loans – separating myth from reality.

Cen Yuying: ‘The Cruel Viceroy’

6 Dead in Indonesia Post-Election Protest

How Developed Is Modi’s Model Village?

China’s GMO Paradox

Can Pakistan Protect CPEC?

Is Sri Lanka Really a Victim of China’s ‘Debt Trap’?

Diplomat Risk Intelligence

Huawei’s Long Road to Global Tech Leadership

Huawei’s Long Road to Global Tech Leadership

Can Huawei become a global leader in the tech sector? It’s possible, but obstacles remain.

What’s in the EU Myanmar Arms Embargo Extension?

What’s in the EU Myanmar Arms Embargo Extension?

The development highlighted Europe’s ongoing approach to engaging the country in this realm amid significant challenges.

5 Big Ideas for the Indian Foreign Ministry's New Indo-Pacific Desk

5 Big Ideas for the Indian Foreign Ministry's New Indo-Pacific Desk

A new “Indo-Pacific” desk at the Indian Ministry of External Affairs presents opportunities.

Popular Stories

Russia’s Looming Arms Sale to Pakistan Sets Up a Dangerous Game

Russia’s Looming Arms Sale to Pakistan Sets Up a Dangerous Game

Will Russia sell the Pantsir missile system and T-90 tanks to Pakistan?

India in Afghanistan After the Soviet Withdrawal

India in Afghanistan After the Soviet Withdrawal

India’s tough experience in post-1989 Afghanistan could hold lessons for weathering a U.S. troop withdrawal.

Vietnam Is the Chinese Military’s Preferred Warm-Up Fight

Vietnam Is the Chinese Military’s Preferred Warm-Up Fight

At some point, the Chinese military will need to test its new capabilities – and Vietnam is likely the preferred adversary.

A New World Order

China’s Curious Absence From a BRICS Business Conference

China’s Curious Absence From a BRICS Business Conference

The Eurasian Society’s conference in Washington, D.C. featured presentations from all the BRICS member states – except China.

Where Does Tibet Fit Into the US-China Relationship?The Cold Reality of Tiananmen at 30 What Does China Want From WTO Reforms?3 Ways China Can Make the Belt and Road Initiative More Successful Taiwan’s Ruling Party Is Getting Tough on China Ahead of 2020 Elections Can China Drive the Afghan Peace Process?

Diplomacy by Other Means

John Bolton: Coast Guard to Help Reassert US Leadership in Arctic

John Bolton: Coast Guard to Help Reassert US Leadership in Arctic

The U.S. national security advisor wants the U.S. Coast Guard to challenge growing Chinese and Russian military influence in the Arctic.

Iran’s Uranium Stockpile and the Future of the JCPOA South China Sea: US Destroyer Conducts Freedom of Navigation Operation Near Scarborough Shoal French, US, Australian, Japanese Warships Drill in Bay of Bengal US-China Decoupling and Vulnerabilities in the American Defense Industrial Base US Navy Chief: US Hasn't Stepped up Sea Patrols to Confront China Vietnam Is the Chinese Military’s Preferred Warm-Up Fight

Militaries of the Asia-Pacific

Managing Nuclear Risks: The Emerging Technologies Challenge

Managing Nuclear Risks: The Emerging Technologies Challenge

The impact of technological changes on nuclear risks needs to be addressed much more directly.

Philippine Naval Modernization in the Headlines With First South Korea Frigate Launch Pakistan Test Fires Medium-Range Ballistic Missile Japan-Singapore Security Ties in Focus With Defense Ministers Meeting US Navy Eyes More Combat Upgrades for Littoral Combat Ships India’s Air Force Test Fires BrahMos Supersonic Cruise Missile From Su-30MKI Fighter Taiwan Stages Joint Air-Sea Live Fire Exercises

Insights Into Half a Billion

What’s Next for the Philippines-Canada Garbage Dispute?

What’s Next for the Philippines-Canada Garbage Dispute?

Canada says it will remove truckloads of garbage allegedly illegally shipped to the Philippines.

Thai Court Blocks Anti-Junta Politician From Parliament Seat Freed Journalists Don't Negate Bleak Outlook for Southeast Asia’s Media Duterte-Backed Candidates Win Big in Philippines' Midterm Elections Destroyer Visit Highlights Japan-Philippines Military Ties Indonesia Officially Awards Election to Jokowi What's Behind Brunei's New Defense White Paper Talk?

Perspectives on South Asia

Modi 2.0 Confronts a Challenging Foreign Policy Landscape

Modi 2.0 Confronts a Challenging Foreign Policy Landscape

After celebrating his win, Modi needs to prepare for much work ahead on the foreign policy front.

Narendra Modi Wins Again -- What Does That Mean for India?An Aspirational India Places Its Faith in Modi Once Again How India’s Liberal Media Facilitated Narendra Modi’s Reelection Sweep The Domestic Dividends of Modi’s Look West Policy Pakistan’s Economy Remains Imran Khan’s Biggest Challenge India’s Marathon Election Ends, Vote Counting to Begin Thursday

Divided Peninsula

What North Korea’s Markets Could Tell Us About Its Food Security

What North Korea’s Markets Could Tell Us About Its Food Security

To really understand how food is distributed, and who gets to eat, we have to also understand precisely how the markets work.

Even as Talks Stall, the Korean DMZ Continues to Rebrand South Korea Vows to Send Aid as North Struggles With ‘Severe Food Shortages’5-18 and the Forgotten Lesson on Anti-Americanism in South Korea South Korea Is Key to Improving Asia’s Financial Safety Net North, South Korean Musicians Hold Rare Joint Performance South Korean Journalist Under Fire for Being 'Rude' to President Moon

News from Japan

Urban Leaders Gather in Tokyo to Urge Climate Action

Urban Leaders Gather in Tokyo to Urge Climate Action

30 mayors and governors from around the world asked Prime Minister Abe to prioritize climate change at the June G-20 summit.

Trump and Abe: The Odd Couple The Heisei Paradox: Emperor Akihito and Japan’s Nationalist Regression Japan’s Once Powerful Criminal Underworld Hits Record Low Membership Living History: Ushering in the New Imperial Era in Japan Japan Pushes for Its Own North Korea Summit Legacy Comes First in Abe’s Foreign Policy

Comment and Opinion

Tragedy and World Order: What Lessons for US Asia Policy?

Tragedy and World Order: What Lessons for US Asia Policy?

A new book situates the U.S. relationship with the international order in historical perspective.

Narendra Modi’s 2019 Landslide: Why It Happened and What Happens Next Does China Really Respect Sovereignty?The Remarkable Survival of Free Thought and Activism in China Xi Goes to Rome: Course-Correction for China’s Belt and Road Initiative?Who Will Speak for Serikzhan Bilash? Not Washington.A Civilizational Clash Isn’t the Way to Frame US Competition With China

Crossroads Asia

The New Silk Road

Tajikistan’s Prison Riot: More Than Meets the Eye

Tajikistan’s Prison Riot: More Than Meets the Eye

The details remain fuzzy, but the conclusion is clear: Something is very wrong.

Fixing Uzbekistan’s Broken University Admissions Process Central Asia and Japan: 15 Years of Multilateral Cooperation In Kazakhstan, Regional Inequalities Undercut Overall Educational Progress The European Union's (Not So) New Central Asia Strategy Islamic Tourism Has Great Potential in Uzbekistan What are the Prospects for Reform in Uzbekistan?

Trans-Pacific View

U.S. Policy on Asia

Upping the Ante in the US-China Trade War

Upping the Ante in the US-China Trade War

Insights from Nien Su.

Will India Continue Its Quest for Global Leadership? The US Should Hope So.US-Thailand Alliance in the Spotlight with New Combat Vehicle Deal Why the US-China Trade Negotiations Are Stuck US-China Trade Talks: High Risk, High Stakes South China Sea Minilateralism: Between Opportunities and Limits US-Asia Education Exchange: The Impact of Public Diplomacy

Economy and Business

China's Latest Economy Data Calls for Caution

China's Latest Economy Data Calls for Caution

China's economic data for April came in below expectations, in sharp contrast to rosy data from 2019's first quarter.

Reforming the Chiang Mai Initiative Huawei in the Trump Administration’s Crosshairs as US-China Economic Warfare Escalates US Trade Tantrum: The Fallout for China and Asia Is Indonesia’s IPR Framework Incompatible with RCEP?China’s Digital Silk Road: A Game Changer for Asian Economies Uber’s Taiwan Operations in Jeopardy as Drivers Protest Rule Changes

The Other Asia-Pacific

Taiwan’s First Same-Sex Couples Got Married Today. What Rights Will They Receive?

Taiwan’s First Same-Sex Couples Got Married Today. What Rights Will They Receive?

Taiwan’s new law grants same-sex partners many of the same rights as heterosexual couples, but it has left some disappointed.

Sydney Judge Awards Actor Geoffrey Rush $2 Million in Defamation Case It's Official: Same-Sex Marriage Is Legal in Taiwan The Long Wait: Chin Refugees in India Fani: India Faces the Cyclone’s Bite, Again In ‘Memory Boxes,’ Afghans Memorialize Lives Lost to Violence Netflix Will Make a Movie About Thailand’s Miracle Cave Rescue

The South Pacific

Australia’s Election Delivers Morrison’s Miracle

Australia’s Election Delivers Morrison’s Miracle

In a shock upset, the ruling coalition will stay in government under Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

Remembering Bob Hawke, Whose Reforms Transformed Australia UN Secretary-General Pays a Visit to the Blue Pacific Australian Prime Minister Predicts Close Election Result Papua New Guinea Assesses Damage From Powerful Earthquake PNG’s Prime Minister Delays No-Confidence Vote by Adjourning Parliament The United States Needs a COFA Strategy

Asia Geopolitics

Huawei, Tech Decoupling, and Great Power Competition

Huawei, Tech Decoupling, and Great Power Competition

Huawei’s fate is in the Trump administration’s hands.

North Korea First Missile Test in More Than 500 Days: A Harbinger of Greater Tension?What Does the Second Belt and Road Forum Say About the Health of China’s Initiative?What Lies Ahead for Indonesia in a Jokowi Second Term?Easter Day Terror in Sri Lanka: Geopolitical Implications The Future of a ‘New Malaysia’

How Developed Is Modi’s Model Village?

How Developed Is Modi’s Model Village?

Nagepur is one of the four villages Modi “adopted” under a new development scheme. How is it faring?

Do Indian Voters Know How Their Government Works?India Elections 2019: What Voters in ‘Modi’s’ Bishada Village Want What India's Most Backward District Wants From the Election India Elections 2019: Where Are Farmers in Gujarat’s Growth Model?Why These Farmers Will Boycott India's General Elections

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From The Magazine

How to Reinvigorate the US-Philippine Alliance

How to Reinvigorate the US-Philippine Alliance

The time is ripe for both sides to modernize their longstanding partnership.

Kazakhstan’s Xinjiang Dilemma

Kazakhstan’s Xinjiang Dilemma

China’s crackdown on Muslims in its far west has become a domestic issue for the Kazakh government.

The Kargil War: India and Pakistan 20 Years Later

The Kargil War: India and Pakistan 20 Years Later

Parsing the war’s consequences, implications, and relationship to 2019’s Balakot crisis.

May 4, 1919: The Making of Modern China

May 4, 1919: The Making of Modern China

100 years later, modern China’s foundational moment has taken on many meanings.

Latest Features

Anatomy of a Taiwan Invasion, Part 3: Taiwan's Countermeasures

Anatomy of a Taiwan Invasion, Part 3: Taiwan's Countermeasures

A look at Taiwan's military force posture and procurement amid advances in capability by China's PLA.

Hong Kong and the US-China New Cold War

Hong Kong and the US-China New Cold War

Will Hong Kong be a “Free World outpost” or a bastion for “Red China”?

Is Duterte Drumming Up a Red Scare in the Philippines?

Is Duterte Drumming Up a Red Scare in the Philippines?

With the president's allies victorious in the recent elections, Duterte seems set to pursue his desired policies.

The Peculiar Presence of the Islamic State in Kunar

The Peculiar Presence of the Islamic State in Kunar

An opaque offshoot of the self-declared Islamic State in one Afghan province displaced thousands of civilians.

Do Indian Voters Know How Their Government Works?

Do Indian Voters Know How Their Government Works?

It seems few Indians are aware of the distinction between the roles of the central and state governments.

Why the Melting of the Hindu Kush and Himalayan Glaciers Matters

Why the Melting of the Hindu Kush and Himalayan Glaciers Matters

The entire region is headed for an immense climate crisis by 2100, scientists warn.

Manufacturing Islamophobia on WhatsApp in India

Manufacturing Islamophobia on WhatsApp in India

What can a study of pro-BJP WhatsApp groups tell us about the party’s culpability in rising Islamophobia?

Nepal Inching Toward China

Nepal Inching Toward China

Warnings of a debt trap aside, there is consensus in Nepal on the benefits to be had from the Belt and Road Initiative.

Nyadran: A Unique Javanese Tradition Welcoming Ramadan

Nyadran: A Unique Javanese Tradition Welcoming Ramadan

Before the month of Ramadan begins, Javanese Muslims hold what’s known as the Nyadran ritual.

Andrew Erickson and Ryan Martinson on China and the Maritime Gray Zone

Andrew Erickson and Ryan Martinson on China and the Maritime Gray Zone

How China thinks about and acts in the maritime gray zone, and what that means for the region’s future.

More Interviews

The Diplomat's Quiz

Play <em>The Diplomat’s Quiz</em>: May 19, 2019 Edition

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