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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.
How Myanmar’s Coup Has Reshaped Its Ethnic Conflicts
By Thomas Kean
The coup has given way to potentially transformative negotiations aimed at the creation of a genuinely inclusive federal state.
How COVID-19 Has Enriched Asia’s Wealthy and Punished Its Poor
By Sebastian Strangio
A new report from the NGO Oxfam provides crucial context for the region's recent democratic decline.
How to Lose a Cold War With China
By Danny Sjursen
The U.S. military and its civilian leaders are overemphasizing militarized responses to what is largely an economic and diplomatic challenge.
Joint Ventures in China: Lessons From ‘Alan’s Boat’
By Ian Lang
In China, the range of expensive foreign joint-ventures that have failed is legion. But there are many small success stories as well, and they are worth learning from.
China and Greenland: Debunking the ‘Debt Trap’ Scenario
By Mikkel Schøler and Marc Lanteigne
Postulating a Chinese debt-trap scenario for Greenland runs counter to existing evidence, including Greenland’s trade interests, Denmark’s ongoing policies, and the growing role of the US.
Is China’s ‘Debt-Trap Diplomacy’ in Greenland Simply on Ice?
By Erin Parsons
Should Greeland continue to move toward independence, the cash-strapped territory would be at high risk of falling prey to Chinese investments that seek to gain influence.
In 2022, The World Must Hold China to Account for Genocide
By Omer Kanat
A focus on imposing consequences on those responsible is key to dismantling the apparatus of genocide.
Bio-tracked, Mistreated, Hog-tied: Immigration Detention in East Asia in 2021
By Surabhi Chopra and Chloe Fung
Governments in Hong Kong, Japan, and South Korea routinely detain migrants in closed custodial institutions.
Meet the New Uyghurs
By Henryk Szadziewski
China's propaganda narrative centers on the personal transformations of Uyghurs, removing the cultural and ethnic markers Beijing finds distasteful.
Why International Assistance for the Rohingya in Bangladesh is Declining
By Katie Hatdash
Dhaka complains about tight Western purse strings, but its own actions are mostly to blame for the donor fatigue.
Hong Kong’s Rigged Election
By Michael Mo
Sunday’s Legislative Council polls are a test of the resistance of pro-democracy Hong Kongers.
The Problem With CAATSA
By Mukesh Aghi and Vikram Mahajan
The U.S. government has many reasons to grant India a waiver for its purchases of Russian defense equipment.