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The Debate
The Debate is our home for the best opinions from around Asia. Whether it is negotiating with Iran, responding to North Korean provocations, discussing Japan's looming demographic issues, or considering the new balance of power in the Asia-Pacific, some of the region's leading thinkers offer their take.
August 15, 2022
Another and Better Way of Promoting Democracy
By Rizal Ramli
Preaching and pressuring has failed to move the needle. An era of resurgent authoritarianism calls for a new approach.
August 12, 2022
What International Financial Actors Need to Learn From Sri Lanka
By Frances Rachel Morrow-Nguyen
Establishing rules of the aid game and channels of communication might prevent a repeat of the current crisis, in Sri Lanka and elsewhere.
August 12, 2022
How Phnom Penh Can Recapture Its Mid-Century Glory
By Oung Ty Keithya
Once regarded as the "jewel of Asia," Cambodia's capital has since become a byword for sprawl and shambolic planning.
August 12, 2022
Violence Against Indian Muslims Must Be Urgently Investigated
By Stephen Rapp
There is enough evidence that some of these acts amount to crimes against humanity.
August 10, 2022
The British Treasury Is Still Hopelessly Optimistic About China
By Dennis Kwok and Sam Goodman
Under Boris Johnson’s successor, will the Treasury get its way on deepening economic ties between the U.K. and China?
August 09, 2022
Pelosi’s Taiwan Visit has Revived the Milk Tea Alliance
By Wichuta Teeratanabodee and Quah Say Jye
After a period of dormancy, the U.S. House Speaker's controversial visit has breathed new life into the regional pro-democracy coalition.
August 09, 2022
As China-US Ties Continue to Fray, Can Their Ambassadors Make Repairs?
By Chi Wang
During previous rounds of crisis, ambassadors helped negotiate solutions. Can Qin Gang and Nicholas Burns follow suit?
August 08, 2022
Tit for Tat: The Fall-out From the US Approach to Politics and Policy in Cambodia
By Alex Palmer
Washington was right to censure Phnom Penh in its latest Trafficking in Persons Report. But the U.S. government risks entangling legitimate criticism with geopolitical tensions.
August 05, 2022
Fashion Brands Have Failed to Protect Workers in Military-Ruled Myanmar
By Alysha Khambay
The military's seizure of power has created a climate in which even carrying out human rights due diligence is next to impossible.
August 04, 2022
Abe Shinzo Excelled at Foreign Policy, But He Failed Women Badly
By Sachiko Oshimo and Mark S. Cogan
The late Japanese leader stoked a reactionary social conservatism that reinforced the country's traditional gender roles.
August 03, 2022
South Korea’s ‘Sender Pays’ Policy Is a Threat to the Internet
By Adrian Wan
The “sender pays” model is poised to create fragmentation of digital rules and standards, compromising the digital ecosystems that have been at the heart of the internet’s innovation and growth.
August 01, 2022
China’s Heavy-Handed Push to Prevent a UN Report on Xinjiang
By William Nee
Beijing’s full-court press to kill the report reveals a lot about Xi Jinping’s ideal form of international order.
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