Latest Stories
The Attack on Iran’s Nuclear Program Should Be a Warning to South Korea
The Israeli and U.S. attacks on Iran show exactly why a South Korean nuclear program would be a dangerous pursuit.
Philippine Senator’s Deepfake Post Raises Fresh Disinformation Concerns
Due to its high levels of social media uptake, the Philippines has been referred to as a “breeding ground for disinformation.”
Thailand Closes Most Border Crossings With Cambodia as Dispute Escalates
PM Paetongtarn Shinawatra said that the closures were intended to tackle criminal scam operations based in Cambodia.
Major Drug Busts in Thailand, Indonesia Point to Regional Trafficking Boom
Asian governments seized a record 236 tons of methamphetamine last year, according to the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime.
A Business Hub for Central Asia’s Elite? What to Expect From Alatau
While Tokayev’s vision of a futurist Singapore-style city is slowly getting started, it takes a different development approach than Astana did. Still, questions over financing and local impact persist.
How Iran’s Collapse Could Trigger a Central Asian Refugee Crisis
Central Asia may not be centered in current headlines, but it could soon find itself on the front lines of the next refugee crisis.
Most Read
The Iran-Israel Conflict Drives Home the Importance of Gwadar for China
With traditional shipping lanes from the Gulf in jeopardy, Gwadar Port in Pakistan is once again in focus.
Why Israel’s Attack on Iran Is a Geopolitical Blow for India
A weakened Iran will jeopardize India's foothold in the region, while benefitting archrival Pakistan.
In Thailand, Recreational Cannabis Use Is Set to Go Up In Smoke
Three years after becoming the first Asian nation to decriminalize cannabis, Thailand is readying new legislation that will restrict the drug to medical use.
Magazine
The Messy Reality of Philippine Democracy
The Philippines may be a democratic inspiration, but it is also a warning.
Democracy Disfigured: India’s Political Devolution
India’s political system has shifted from limited democracy to party democracy and finally to plebiscitary democracy, a trend that reached its epitome with Modi.
American Democracy Versus Chinese Governance: The Ultimate Contest
U.S. democracy is viewed as failing, while Chinese governance is seen as succeeding. And while Trump’s presidency may be a symptom of that trend, it’s not the cause.
Mark Chou on Australia’s Post-Election Political Outlook
The Australian election result “masks a more sobering political reality: that Albanese and Labor were increasingly unpopular not all that long ago.”
Blogs
China Power
A New World Order
War in Iran: China’s Short- and Long-term Strategic Calculations
Amid the Israeli and U.S. military strikes on Iran, China’s attempt to seize the moral high ground converges with its multilayered strategic calculations.
Is China Ready to Join CPTPP?
What Democracies Get Wrong About Chinese AI
What Has Georgia Gained From Its Strategic Partnership With China?
Flashpoints
Diplomacy by Other Means
The Strait of Hormuz and the Indo-Pacific: Strategic Shockwaves
The potential closure of the strait raises a difficult question for Indo-Pacific policymakers: how can states shield themselves from strategic chokepoint shocks?
Reframing the French Indo-Pacific: Wallis and Futuna: Of Monarchies, Catholicism… and Rugby
Coded Dependence: How China’s AI Expansion is Locking in Southeast Asia
Russia’s Arctic Bet: Can Asia Deliver on NSR Ambitions?
Asia Defense
Militaries of the Asia-Pacific
The Drone Swarm Paradox in the Taiwan Strait
The pursuit of autonomous dominance may be less useful – and more escalatory – in a Taiwan Strait conflict than often assumed.
China-US Cooperation Could Halt the Next Middle East War
Indian Navy Gets First Shallow Water Anti-submarine Warships
The Pros and Cons of an India-US Reciprocal Defense Procurement Agreement
ASEAN Beat
Insights Into Half a Billion
Philippine Senator’s Deepfake Post Raises Fresh Disinformation Concerns
Due to its high levels of social media uptake, the Philippines has been referred to as a “breeding ground for disinformation.”
Thailand Closes Most Border Crossings With Cambodia as Dispute Escalates
Major Drug Busts in Thailand, Indonesia Point to Regional Trafficking Boom
Indonesia to Sign FTA With Russia-dominated Union This Year, Minister Says
The Pulse
Perspectives on South Asia
Understanding India’s Strategic Outreach to the Taliban in Afghanistan
Providing humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people has been a tool used by India for both opposing the Taliban in the past and engaging the Taliban now.
What Indian Parliamentary Delegations Achieved in Post-Sindoor Diplomatic Outreach
India Signals Reluctance to Call Out Israeli Aggression
How India’s Migrant Labor Struggles During a Crisis
The Koreas
Divided Peninsula
The Attack on Iran’s Nuclear Program Should Be a Warning to South Korea
The Israeli and U.S. attacks on Iran show exactly why a South Korean nuclear program would be a dangerous pursuit.
President Lee Jae-myung’s G7 Debut and the Recalibration of South Korean Foreign Policy
South Korea’s Syria Gamble
South Korea’s New Government
Tokyo Report
News From Japan
Can Nippon Ishin no Kai Make a Splash in Japan’s Upper House Election?
As the upper house election nears, Japan’s third largest party outlines its basic policies and stance on pressing issues.
Trust Deficit: Japan’s Corporate Scandals and the Case for Independent Financial Oversight
In Japan, Rice Is a Security Issue
Japan-South Korea Relations Are About to Get a Stress Test
The Debate
Comment and Opinion
Bangladesh Displays Soft Power with Strategic Intent in New Delhi
At an event in the Indian capital marking Bangladesh’s belated “Independence Day celebration,” Bangladesh’s envoy called for reimagining apparent “frosty ties.”
Did the Lao Government Just Attempt an Extrajudicial Killing on European Soil?
Don’t Let the Indo-Pacific Slip Off NATO’s Radar
15 Years On, Ethnic Uzbeks Sill Face Bias in Kyrgyzstan
Crossroads Asia
The New Silk Road
A Business Hub for Central Asia’s Elite? What to Expect From Alatau
While Tokayev’s vision of a futurist Singapore-style city is slowly getting started, it takes a different development approach than Astana did. Still, questions over financing and local impact persist.
How Iran’s Collapse Could Trigger a Central Asian Refugee Crisis
Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan Moving Central Asia Toward Regional Integration
With New PM and Cabinet, Mongolia’s Coalition Government 2.0 Takes Shape
Trans-Pacific View
U.S. Policy on Asia
How President Trump Lost the Indo-Pacific
Trump’s first term removed the United States from Southeast Asia’s economic future. His second is cutting it out of the region’s strategic present.
Singapore Is a Vital Sounding Board for US China Policy
Cambodia, Kyrgyzstan Among 36 Nations in Line for US Travel Bans: Report
The Battle for TikTok Is at the Forefront of a Deeper Geopolitical Trend
Pacific Money
Economy And Business
Why Thailand Shelved the ‘Digital Wallet’ Scheme
The multibillion-dollar stimulus plan did little to address the longer-term structural challenges facing the Thai economy.
Is a Broad Free Trade Coalition Possible?
Tariffs Put Extra Pressure on Workers in Both China and the US
Why the National Energy Transition Roadmap Makes Sense for Malaysia
Oceania
The South Pacific
Pacific Islands Countries Push For Action at UN Ocean Conference
Countries on the forefront of climate change need the international community to pick up the pace.
Australia’s Albanese at the G7
The Pacific Islands: America’s Power Vacuum and China’s Offensive
New Zealand’s Response to Israeli Strikes Against Iran
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
What Does South Korea’s New Progressive Administration Portend for Northeast Asia?
Will Lee Jae-myung succeed in implementing a pragmatic foreign policy?
France as a ‘Resident Power’ in the Pacific
The India-Pakistan Clashes of 2025: Why Things Are Different (And More Dangerous) This Time
Asia’s New Nuclear Age
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.