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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 Double-Edged Sword of Plastics in Asia’s Healthcare
By Michelle Reyes and Donna Mae Ocmeja
PPE, syringes, and other single-use plastics in the medical sector are a major contributor to the plastic problem. But the industry can be part of the solution, too.
Pope Francis Returns to Asia-Pacific Frontlines
By Michel Chambon
Francis’ longest trip yet will touch on some fraught geopolitical issues.
The Real Lessons From the Michigan Ghost Town Called Singapore
By Joshua Babcock
The short-lived town of Singapore in Michigan offers lessons about environmental management and historical memory that can reshape Singapore’s local and regional commitments today.
The Academic Brain Drain Since Myanmar’s Military Coup
By Tuang Za Khai
The military takeover has devastated the country's education system, driving thousands of students and teachers out of the country.
What Australia Needs to Do at the Pacific Islands Forum
By Joseph Sikulu
To continue the extraction and export of coal and gas is to make the financial burden of Pacific climate resilience heavier and harder to bear.
Reassessing Social and Human Sciences Research in the Asia-Pacific
By Phinith Chanthalangsy
In a world obsessed with “quick-fix” solutions, can research in the social and human sciences counter the appeal of narrow ideologies?
China’s Genocide Tourism Strategy
By Magnus Fiskesjö
The use of tourism as a propaganda weapon is an old trick of authoritarian regimes.
Myanmar on the Brink: A Population in Desperate Need
By Shinjiro Murata
As with many other humanitarian organizations, it has been impossible for Doctors Without Borders to provide essential healthcare to the people in areas controlled by ethnic armed groups due to movement restrictions set by the authorities.
It’s Past Time to End Chinese Government Impunity for Genocide
By Sophie Richardson
The U.N. and the foreign ministers of concerned democracies should prepare to mark the second anniversary of the OHCHR report by recommitting to the pursuit of justice for millions of Uyghurs.
3 Years on: The Afghan Women Relentlessly Resisting the Taliban
By Humaira Rahbin
While we can and should mark the atrocities against women and girls under Taliban rule, we should also recognize and cheer their resistance.
Bangladesh’s New Democracy Under Threat From Flood of Misinformation
By Farhana Sultana
The country's democratic revolution is being targeted by both external and internal sources of misinformation and propaganda.
What’s Paul Keating’s Problem With Taiwan?
By Grant Wyeth
Once again the former Australian prime minister has made headlines, this time by making the ahistorical claim that Taiwan is “sitting on Chinese real estate.”