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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.
The House China Committee Should Convene a Hearing on Taiwan
By Hiro Fu
Amidst the strategic competition between the United States and China, Taiwan's encounters with Chinese aggression offer essential perspectives for U.S. policymakers and the public.
China Should Be Held to Account for Its Companies’ Labor Abuses Abroad
By Qiang Li
The CCP exerts significant control even over notionally private firms operating overseas. Sadly, Chinese citizens’ well-being seems to be the only area that the party does not prioritize.
President Biden Should Congratulate Indonesia’s Prabowo Now
By Ernest Z. Bower
Washington is awaiting until the release of official results before contacting the president-elect. But waiting would be strategically costly.
Global Tech Companies’ Deafening Silence on Deteriorating Internet Freedom in Hong Kong
By Michael Caster
Global tech giants should speak out against attempts to control internet intermediaries and use national security laws as a pretext for censorship and surveillance in Hong Kong.
Why India Became Indispensable to US Foreign Policy and Pakistan Was Left Behind
By Syed Abdul Ahad Waseem
Democracy and “shared values” play a major role in diplomacy – something that Pakistan seems to have overlooked.
Navalny’s Death Highlights the Dangers Facing Cambodia’s Political Prisoners
By Sam Rainsy
The world should ensure that the same fate does not befall the more than 60 "hostages" in the country's prisons.
Asian Care Worker Abuse in the Global North: A Call for Greater Corporate Accountability
By Catriona Fraser
Health and social care companies have the power – and responsibility – to enforce higher standards for foreign workers.
The Hereditary Dictatorships of North Korea, Cambodia Have Shared Soviet Roots
By David Whitehouse
Both nations traveled a similar path from Soviet patronage to personalist autocracy.
France, the Vatican, and the Pan-Asian Sexual Abuse Scandals of MEP Missionaries
By Michel Chambon
Both French authorities and the Vatican seem reluctant to act on accusations of sexual abuse by French priests in Japan, Thailand, Cambodia, and more.
Myanmar’s Diaspora in South Korea Fights for Democracy Back Home
By Sinmyung Park
Myanmar nationals are collaborating with each other and their Korean supporters in support of the country’s anti-coup resistance.
US Sanctions and Rallying Around the Flag in North Korea and Cambodia
By David Whitehouse
Critics of economic sanctions claim that they help authoritarian governments consolidate their power, but this is based on a reductive view of statehood.
10 Years After the UN Report: The International Community’s Role in Improving Human Rights in North Korea
By Ilhyeok Kim
The Commission of Inquiry Report on North Korea shocked the world with revelations of horrific abuses. It's time to take stock of what progress has been achieved since then.