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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.
Nippon Steel’s Acquisition of U.S. Steel Would Serve U.S. Interests
By Alex Little
The deal could revive the moribund American steel industry at a crucial juncture for both nations.
Modi’s Visit Reaffirms the West’s Failure to Isolate Putin
By Mohamed Zeeshan
Wary of Western hegemony, Modi and Putin discussed multiple ways to bypass Western sanctions, including a bilateral payment system.
25 Years On, Falun Gong Still Firmly in Beijing’s Repressive Sights
By Levi Browde and Larry Liu
With its continued efforts to persecute the group, the CCP is implicitly admitting that its effort to wipe out Falun Gong has categorically failed.
What South Korea Can Accomplish at NATO To Help End the War in Ukraine
By Scott Snyder
Given the revitalized North Korea-Russia relationship, South Korea has an even more direct stake than before in the duration and outcome of the war in Ukraine.
Myanmar’s Women Face Significant Risks From Junta Conscription Drive
By Thinzar Shunlei Yi and Maggi Quadrini
After an initial exemption, women and girls are now being forcibly recruited into the ranks of the country's armed forces.
The UN’s Capitulation to the Taliban
By Davood Moradian
For decades, the United Nations has failed Afghanistan.
Cancellation of Nickel Investments Should Be a Wake-Up Call for Indonesia
By Krista Shennum
The government's break-neck drive to exploit its nickel deposits should not come at the expense of human rights and the environment.
Cambodia’s Transnational Repression Will Continue Until the World Takes Action
By Sorn Dara
The government insists that Western countries keep out of its affairs. At the same time, it freely breaches their sovereignty in pursuit of outspoken critics.
Engagement With the Taliban Cannot Come at the Cost of Ignoring Gender Apartheid
By Sarah Keeler and Mina Ahmadi
Taliban representation at the latest Doha talks was apparently deemed so important by the United Nations that it is worth betraying the fundamental rights and will of the Afghan people.
New Caledonia Unrest Is a Wake-up Call for US Strategists
By Lyle Goldstein
The recent uprising in the French territory, once an essential bastion of U.S. power projection, holds deeper meaning for strategists.
Why Taiwan Needs to Secure Its Undersea Cables
By Jordan McGillis and Pieter van Wingerden
In the context of an intensifying Chinese pressure campaign, these fragile digital links are more important than ever before.
More Than a Ranking
By Jacob Sims
How the U.S. State Department's latest Trafficking in Persons report could protect trafficking victims and American taxpayers alike.