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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.
No Media Lessons Learned From Thailand’s Siam Paragon Tragedy
By Mark S. Cogan
The Thai and international media have treated the country's latest episode of gun violence as a spectacle.
Canada’s Foreign Interference Inquiries Should Not Be Distracted by Diplomatic Struggles With India
By Chauncey Jung
While Trudeau is correct in expanding the scope of foreign interference, it is necessary to distinguish the different tactics India and China have adopted in Canada.
Bolivia Lithium Contracts Make It Complicit In China’s Uyghur Abuses
By Joseph Bouchard and Yulina Goto
Chinese firms involved in extracting the country's large reserves of the vital mineral have well-documented links to forced labor and other abuses in the Xinjiang region.
10 Years On: Why Strategic Trust Still Matters
By Vu Le Thai Hoang and Ngo Di Lan
As the Indo-Pacific emerges as the central theater of geopolitical rivalry, the absence of strategic trust is not merely an academic concern but a pressing existential issue.
US Senators Need to Raise the Uyghur Genocide on Beijing Visit
By Omer Kanat
While diplomatic engagement with China is essential, it cannot come at the cost of ignoring the egregious human rights abuses taking place in the Uyghur region.
An Economist vs. Uzbekistan’s Silk Industry: Whose Facts Matter?
By Umida Niyazova
A coming court verdict on the admissibility of independently verified information could have lasting negative implications for labor rights reporting in Uzbekistan.
The Cambodian Regime Is a Key Element in China’s Regional Expansion Strategy
By Mu Sochua and Jianli Yang
As Cambodia fully embraces the “China model,” the country’s role in the geopolitical competition between the United States and China is becoming increasingly important.
Time for International Travel Companies to End ‘Genocide Tours’ to the Uyghur Region
By Henryk Szadziewski
By bringing tourists to the Uyghur region, travel companies tacitly whitewash genocidal policies and profit from hyper-securitization.
The Case for an Alliance of Semiconductor Producing Nations
By Carisa Nietsche
The “Semi7” would include countries making meaningful contributions to the semiconductor value chain and that share similar goals.
UN Human Rights Chief Demands Urgent Action to End ‘Unspeakable Tragedy’ in Myanmar
By Benedict Rogers
Volker Turk shone a long overdue and much-needed spotlight on a particular tragedy that the rest of the international community has chosen to ignore.
China’s Unjust Life Sentence for Uyghur Scholar Rahile Dawut Is a Tragic Loss for Humanity
By Omer Kanat
Rahile's imprisonment represents not only a personal tragedy but also a broader assault on Uyghur culture and identity.
Hun Manet 1, US State Department 0
By Arthur Eremita
Washington flip-flops on $18 million Cambodia aid penalty.