Blog
Asia Life
Sports, culture and the arts are a passion for billions in the Asia-Pacific, and offer unique insights into what makes countries here tick. From the latest cricket match to prize-winning novels and the latest art exhibitions, The Diplomat's bloggers cover it all, giving you a fresh perspective on the region.
Bumpy Start for Malaysia’s First Sharia-Compliant Airline
By Amy Chew
Delays, canceled flights and handwritten boarding passes.
Kagyu Samye Ling: Scotland's Buddhist Monastery
By Bradley Jardine and Sakshi Rai
In 1967, Choje Akong Rinpoche helped found the first Tibetan temple in the West.
Mentally Ill Indonesians Living in Chains
By Roshni Kapur
Despite the practice being banned over three decades ago, people with psychosocial disabilities are still chained.
Thangka: Painting the Roadmap to Enlightenment
By Jonathan DeHart
An interview with thangka master painter and teacher, Ambar Lama, on the state of this iconic Tibet-an art.
Netflix's Great China Challenge
By Tenzin Pelkyi
The company’s global expansion has hit a wall in China.
The Hiccup in Ip Man 3’s Hype
By Catherine Putz
The film was bound to do well, but "ghost screenings" clued regulators onto the Chinese distributor’s clumsy fraud.
The Bunong vs. The Sesan II Dam
By Luc Forsyth and Gareth Bright
For the indigenous Bunong people, a desperate battle against the Sesan II dam will decide if their community has a future.
Nepal’s Mortal Goddesses
By Roshni Kapur
Goddesses usually exist in the spiritual realm. Not in Nepal.
Confronting Obesity in Asia’s Cities
By Asit K. Biswas and Kris Hartley
Obesity is a growing crisis that governments cannot afford to ignore.
Gundam: Japan's Top Pop Culture Phenomenon
By William Ashbaugh
Think of Star Wars and Star Trek merged into one franchise to visualize the impact of Gundam on Japanese pop culture.
Afghanistan's American Idol: Americanization or Anti-Americanism?
By Nima Zahedi Namegh
Afghanistan’s “Afghan Star” has become a venue for forging Afghan identity.
Hollywood Movies Attack the Indian Market
By Krzysztof Iwanek
Hollywood movies are increasingly popular among Indian audiences.