Blog
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.
February 11, 2020
The World Can Benefit From Taiwan’s WHO Participation
By Eric Li-Luan Chu
With Taiwan absent from the WHO, the health of the Taiwanese people and the world is at greater risk.
February 07, 2020
Huawei’s Human Rights Record Has Been Shamefully Ignored
By David Alton
The U.K. has been outspoken against the persecution of Uyghurs in Xinjiang; rewarding major contracts to the architects of the surveillance system undermines this.
February 07, 2020
Hong Kong Hurts Itself By Financially Excluding Foreign Domestic Workers
By Jason Hung
Hong Kong should prioritize economic reforms benefiting foreign domestic workers.
February 06, 2020
Sam Rainsy: Cambodia’s Ruling Party Is More Divided Than the Public Knows
By Sam Rainsy
The opposition leader argues that Hun Sen is using Kem Sokha’s trial to bolster his authority within the ruling party.
February 05, 2020
Uyghurs and the China Coronavirus
By Munawwar Abdulla
An epidemic and crowded mass detention camps are a potentially deadly combination.
February 04, 2020
Wuhan and the Need for Improved Global Biosecurity
By Shambhavi Naik and Aditya Ramanathan
While the Wuhan virus is a natural pathogen, its rapid spread ought to be a reminder of our vulnerability to bioweapons attacks as new technologies revolutionise access to deadly germs and toxins.
February 01, 2020
Afghanistan’s Mineral Resources Are a Lost Opportunity and a Threat
By Ahmad Shah Katawazai
Without a coherent strategy, Afghanistan's vast mineral resources represent both a lost opportunity and a threat to national security.
February 01, 2020
How Other Countries Can Survive the US-China Competition
By Gedaliah Afterman
Smaller powers should create new coalitions in face of ongoing superpower competition.
January 31, 2020
Is India Becoming an Elected Autocracy?
By Prabhash Ranjan
Looking at recent events in India through the lens of How Democracies Die.
January 31, 2020
Sam Rainsy Is Not a Coward
By Mu Sochua
The attempt by Sam Rainsy to return to Cambodia on November 9, 2019, though unsuccessful, shows who is afraid.
January 30, 2020
The Coronavirus and Governance
By Mie Oba
How countries deal with issues like this latest coronavirus is a concern for all.
January 29, 2020
US Interests Are Not Served by Making a Scapegoat of South Korea
By Sukjoon Yoon
The U.S.-South Korea SMA negotiations have devolved into a blatant shakedown. That's bad for both sides.