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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.
Myanmar’s Generals Aren’t Going Anywhere
By George McLeod
As sanctions are reimposed, the country's old business elite is slowly clawing back the ground lost during a decade of reform.
We’re Not in a Cold War With China, We’re in a Green War for Survival
By Edward J. Markey
We cannot save the “pale blue dot, the only home we’ve ever known” without spurring China -- and ourselves -- to action.
China’s Paper Tiger Surveillance State
By Isabel Ivanescu and Robert Carlson
The CCP's pervasive surveillance apparatus is a sign not of strength, but of fragility.
Myanmar Junta’s Diplomatic Games Need Tough Response
By John Sifton
The ASEAN summit’s failings demonstrate that standard diplomatic protocols are insufficient to deal with the Myanmar leadership.
America Must Become the Vaccine Arsenal of Democracy
By Joaquin Castro
The tragedy underway in India proves that the United States must leverage its full industrial and scientific capacity until the entire world is vaccinated.
China’s Coast Guard Law Challenges Rule-Based Order
By Wataru Okada
The international community must respond to China’s maritime coercion.
Why US Strategic Ambiguity Is Safer for Taiwan
By Simon Shin-wei Chen, Wang Kai-chun , and Samuel Hui
U.S. strategic ambiguity toward Taiwan restricts any unilateral decisions by both sides of the strait that could potentially escalate the situation.
The Asia-Pacific Needs More Adult Vaccinations – and Not Just for COVID-19
By Sofiat Akinola, Chris Hardesty, and Ada Wong
This World Immunization Week, life-course immunization, beyond COVID-19, must be on the agenda, too.
The Normalization Process in the Bangsamoro Faces Rising Uncertainty
By Georgi Engelbrecht
Delays in the decommissioning of Moro rebels and other measures threaten the fragile peace in the newly created Bangsamoro Autonomous Region.
The World Can’t Fight Climate Change Without East Asia on Board
By Daul Jang
More global efforts are needed from China, Japan, and South Korea to keep temperature increases below 1.5 degree Celsius.
Global Norms Are Under Attack in Post-Coup Myanmar
By Aung Kyaw and Kyaw Hsan Hlaing
The world's action – or inaction – will have an impact far beyond Myanmar's own borders.
Here’s How Biden Can Still Support Peace in Afghanistan
By Aidan Mark Lewis
Deciding to withdraw may prove disastrous, but the U.S. has policy options now that the decision has been made.