Latest Stories
The Xi-Putin Summit: A Display of China-Russia Resilience on Victory Day
Amid Trump’s tariffs and Ukraine talks, Putin and Xi were determined to display the strength of their strategic partnership despite U.S. pressure.
Beyond Yoon: The Breakdown of Rule of Law in Korea
The corrosion of Korean democracy is more insidious, systematic, and widespread than a single bad apple.
The China-US AI Race Enters a New (and More Dangerous) Phase
A new tech cold war is underway -- and accelerating.
Telemetry Exchange Could Anchor China-US Strategic Stability Dialogues
Strategic competition without adequate information risks misinterpretation, miscalculation, and unintended escalation.
As Pacific Islands Caution Against Seabed Mining, the US Prepares to Trash the Rules
The White House’s executive order last month purports to authorize mining in international waters – against the authority of a U.N. regulatory body.
The Historical Great Powers of Asia: Medieval East Asia
China was preeminent both within East Asia and beyond that region as a globally influential state.
Most Read
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.
Does Southeast Asia Lead the World in Human Flourishing?
In a new global study attempting to measure contentment and quality of life, Indonesia and the Philippines are ranked first and third, respectively.
Russia’s Plans Are Bigger Than Conflict With the West or Camaraderie With China
The Kremlin's geopolitical strategy is increasingly preoccupied with the geography of its southern and eastern borders.
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
The Xi-Putin Summit: A Display of China-Russia Resilience on Victory Day
Amid Trump’s tariffs and Ukraine talks, Putin and Xi were determined to display the strength of their strategic partnership despite U.S. pressure.
Taiwan’s Self-Created Achilles’ Heel: Eliminating Nuclear Power
The Historical Great Powers of Asia: Medieval East Asia
As Geopolitical Competition Heats up, China Is Eyeing the Caribbean
Flashpoints
Diplomacy by Other Means
Why China Will Not Invade Taiwan (For Now)
China has little to gain and everything to lose by altering the world's current geopolitical trajectory.
Strategic Convergence Between India and the European Union
The Taliban’s Role in the Fragile Ceasefire Between India and Pakistan
China, US Declare Temporary Truce in Their Trade War
Asia Defense
Militaries of the Asia-Pacific
Telemetry Exchange Could Anchor China-US Strategic Stability Dialogues
Strategic competition without adequate information risks misinterpretation, miscalculation, and unintended escalation.
Japan Ground Self-Defense Force Says It Will Conduct First-Ever Joint Exercise With South Korean Marine Corps
India-Pakistan Military Crisis: A Testing Ground for Chinese Military Hardware
Cambodia, China Prepare to Launch ‘Golden Dragon’ Military Exercises
ASEAN Beat
Insights Into Half a Billion
The Philippine Midterm Election Results Reflected the Country’s Political Polarization
The results have set the scene for a similarly polarized battle during Vice President Sara Duterte's upcoming Senate impeachment trial.
On Indonesia Visit, Albanese Calls For Greater Defense and Economic Cooperation
Malaysia’s PM Anwar Winds Up Second State Visit to Russia
Death Toll From Air Strike on Myanmar School Rises to 25
The Pulse
Perspectives on South Asia
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.
Nepal’s Call for Climate Action at Sagarmatha Sambaad
India Deploys Emotive Symbolism of Women in the India-Pakistan Military Conflict
‘And With Every Hardship.’ Sri Lankan Women Continue to Push for Muslim Marriage Law Reform
The Koreas
Divided Peninsula
Beyond Yoon: The Breakdown of Rule of Law in Korea
The corrosion of Korean democracy is more insidious, systematic, and widespread than a single bad apple.
After Last-Minute PPP Drama, South Korea’s Presidential Campaigns Officially Kick Off
North Korean Spy Arrest in China May Signal Beijing’s Unease over Growing Pyongyang-Moscow Ties
The Politics of Regional Gravity: South Korea’s Space Future Caught in Domestic Politics
Tokyo Report
News From Japan
Richard Armitage, Joseph Nye, and the Future of the Japan-US Alliance
The Trump administration appears to have inherited the mantle of being “pro-U.S.-Japan alliance” from two establishment figures whose class the president publicly disparages.
How Japan’s $1.1 Trillion in US Treasuries Became a Strategic Lever in the New Tariff War
LDP’s Takaichi Proposes a ‘Quasi-Alliance’ While in Taiwan
What Could Japan’s Coast Guard Do in an Armed Attack?
The Debate
Comment and Opinion
What the Global North Can Learn From the Global South
The tumult now unsettling the Global North may be an unexpected opportunity through which a truer, less hierarchical human rights order might at last emerge.
Higher Education and Authoritarianism: Lessons From Afghanistan for the US
A War Nobody Wins: The Real Cost of India-Pakistan Rivalry
20 Years Since Andijan, Remembering Past Abuses in Uzbekistan
Crossroads Asia
The New Silk Road
Tajikistan Decriminalizes ‘Likes’ Online
A 2018 amendment had opened the door to criminal prosecution, and up to 15 years in jail, for “liking” or reacting online with an emoji to content deemed to be extremist.
Central Asian Conference of Women Journalists Abruptly Cancelled in Dushanbe
Kazakhstan’s Slow Shift Away From Celebrating Victory Day
Uzbekistan and Afghanistan: A New Era of Limited Recognition
Trans-Pacific View
U.S. Policy on Asia
Pacific Money
Economy And Business
Why China-US Trade Talks May Not Lead to a Comprehensive Deal
If the U.S. pressures China to free-float the yuan, increase market access, and go for full capital account convertibility, a trade deal is unlikely.
Time for China to Ditch Commercial IOUs – Like Japan Just Did
India-UK Free Trade Agreement: Sign of a New Dawn?
The Rise and Fall, and Rise Again, of Sea Ltd
Oceania
The South Pacific
As Pacific Islands Caution Against Seabed Mining, the US Prepares to Trash the Rules
The White House’s executive order last month purports to authorize mining in international waters – against the authority of a U.N. regulatory body.
What Can Asia and the Pacific Expect From Australia’s New Government?
Australia’s PM Albanese Bound For Indonesia on First Post-election Trip
Solomon Islands PM Avoids No Confidence Vote, But Is Potentially Weakened
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.