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Sribala Subramanian

Sribala Subramanian

Sribala Subramanian is a New York-based columnist for The Diplomat.

Sribala Subramanian is a New York-based columnist for The Diplomat. She covers Southeast Asia and contributes to ASEAN Beat. Sribala has written about the drone supply chain in Malaysia, GPS jamming in Myanmar, and Donald Trump’s visit to a Vietnamese restaurant. She also writes on social and cultural themes such as the rise of TikTok in Thailand, the hit TV show “Cigarette Girl,” and the action thriller “Born to Fly.”

A former reporter for Time, Sribala worked for the magazine’s international edition. Her freelance articles have appeared in The Guardian, Eurasia Review, and The Wire.

She studied magazine journalism at Syracuse University and has a master’s in Mass Communication from California State University, Fresno. She graduated from Bangalore University and got her start in journalism at The Indian Express.

Posts by Sribala Subramanian
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November 01, 2022

Indonesia’s Plea: ‘G-20 Must Not Fail’

By Sribala Subramanian
Was Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi’s speech at the United Nations a curtain raiser for the G-20 summit?
October 13, 2022

Laos and ‘Xiplomacy’

By Sribala Subramanian
China’s leader has leveraged a boyhood connection into a blooming strategic partnership.

September 20, 2022

The Met’s Cambodia Problem

By Sribala Subramanian
The museum’s prized collection of Khmer artifacts may have dubious origins.

May 13, 2022

Was Bucha a Turning Point for India’s TV News Channels? 

By Sribala Subramanian
As graphic reports of bodies lying on the streets of Bucha began airing in early April, some of India’s leading anchors and correspondents turned sharply critical of Russia.

March 09, 2022

Is Russia Really India’s Friend? 

By Sribala Subramanian
A flashback to 1962 and the Sino-Indian War. 
February 09, 2022

Pulling the Plug in Myanmar

By Sribala Subramanian
A coup and an energy transition break up two longstanding partnerships in the country’s oil and gas sector.

August 25, 2021

Under Taliban Rule, What Happens to Afghanistan’s Artifacts?

By Sribala Subramanian
The Taliban are famous for destroying priceless artifacts. With Kabul falling to the Taliban, the fate of the National Museum’s world-class collection now hangs in the balance.
June 14, 2021

Rare Earths in Myanmar: Unobtanium?

By Sribala Subramanian
Despite its present political turmoil, Myanmar controls the supply of critical metals for clean energy products.

May 04, 2021

The Kazakh Herders of Xinjiang 

By Sribala Subramanian
Revisiting “Winter Pasture,” an early chronicle of the hardships endured by a Xinjiang-based minority group.

March 04, 2020

How Singapore Connected the Dots on Coronavirus 

By Sribala Subramanian and Sribala Subramanian
Tough laws and semi-invasive methods coupled with cajoling and cheerleading are Singapore’s way of handling epidemics .

February 22, 2020

The Ordeal of the Diamond Princess Crew  

By Sribala Subramanian and Sribala Subramanian
The controversial two-week quarantine was even more difficult for the cruise ship’s crew members, most of whom hail from the Philippines, India, or Indonesia.
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