Archive
2015
Exclusive: Managing the Strained US-Thailand Alliance
By Prashanth Parameswaran
A look at ongoing efforts to manage Washington’s oldest Asian alliance.
Is China's 'Belt and Road' a Strategy?
By Xie Tao
When is a strategy not a strategy?
The Complex Impact of Urbanization in Xinjiang
By Wade Shepard
There’s a logic to China’s urbanization scheme, but its social and cultural impacts are complex.
Tajikistan's Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Year
By Catherine Putz
Human rights advocates and opposition figures tell a dark story of descent into crisis.
Did Australia Secretly Conduct Its Own Freedom of Navigation Operation in the South China Sea?
By Shannon Tiezzi
An accidental scoop by a BBC reporter suggests so.
Why Did Kim Jong-un's Showcase Band Cancel Their China Show?
By Bo Zhiyue
Whatever the specifics, the cancellation is a case of two powerful leaders -- Xi and Kim -- clashing.
China’s Air Defense Identification Zone and Lao Airlines Flight QV916
By Roncevert Ganan Almond
A curious case of mistrust and misunderstanding in the East China Sea
Remembering the Peshawar Attack
By Muhammad Akbar Notezai
Twelve months after the slaughter at Army Public School, where does Pakistan stand on terrorism?
Did Kazakhstan Actually Explore Removing Ethnic Russians From Its North?
By Casey Michel
The claim, made in brief in The Guardian, merits a fuller explanation.
SCO Prime Ministers Gather in China to Talk Trade and Terrorism
By Catherine Putz
In Ufa the SCO set goals and in Zhengzhou they should chart a course for implementation.
Interview: Remembering the Disappearance of Sombath Somphone
By John Quinley III
The Diplomat talks with Ng Shui Meng, the wife of disappeared Lao activist Sombath Somphone.
China Celebrates Paris Climate Change Deal
By Shannon Tiezzi
China claims victory -- and a major leadership role -- in the global agreement on climate change.