Society

What Happened: When Israel conducted military strikes on Lebanon in the fall of 2024, it was a heavy blow to South Asian migrant workers in the country. With employers allowed to confiscate migrants’ passports, fleeing Lebanon was not an option. Dozens of migrant workers were killed or injured in the bombings, though precise casualty figures remain unclear. Approximately 25,000 migrant workers were displaced from their homes and workplaces because of the conflict. In Lebanon, the war collided with kafala, an oppressive migration system that leaves workers with few rights, to put migrants at severe risk of harm.

Our Focus: The Diplomat’s Nicholas Muller spoke to South Asian domestic workers caught in the crossfire in Lebanon. Pavani, from Sri Lanka, was abandoned by the Lebanese family that employed her – but not before they confiscated her passport. The building where she worked and lived was bombed, leaving her without shelter or income for weeks. But long before that, Pavani (and many other South Asian women) faced exploitation: sexual abuse, withheld wages, forced confinement, and no time off. Under the kafala system, Pavani and other migrant workers have virtually no recourse for holding their employers to account, meaning abuses are rampant.

What Comes Next: According to officials with the International Organization for Migration, the bombings revealed both the urgent need for both short- and long-term actions to protect migrants: “There is the ongoing need for support in terms of shelter, food, hygiene supplies, and psychosocial support. And there is… the need for systemic changes to improve the situation for migrants in Lebanon.” For now, with the possibility of new airstrikes looming, many South Asians in Lebanon are simply desperate to return home – if they can find a way.

INTERVIEW

Tleubike Yuldasheva, Ziuar Mirmanbetova, Raisa Khudaibergenova, and Zhangeldi Zhaksymbetov – Karakalpak activists wanted by Uzbekistan who have been granted asylum in the United States – on the future of their homeland: “We want the international community to understand that Karakalpakstan stands at a historic crossroads… Karakalpakstan’s bold assertion of self-determination is not only a legal and moral claim but also a strategic one.”

Northeast Asia

On April 4, after over a month of deliberation, South Korea’s Constitutional Court unanimously upheld the impeachment of President Yoon Suk-yeol, finding that his declaration of martial law was unjustified and a grave violation of the constitutional order. The verdict brings the Yoon saga to an end, but it won’t resolve the intense polarization of the country, which remains split between Yoon’s supporters and detractors. That divide will be on display as the campaign heats up for a special presidential election, which current opposition leader Lee Jae-myung – Yoon’s arch-nemesis – is heavily favored to win.

South Asia

Last week’s announcement of across-the-board U.S. tariff hikes on nearly every major economy are poised to wreak havoc on South Asia’s export-dependent economies. Under the new policy, U.S. tariffs rates will reach 44 percent for imports from Sri Lanka, 37 percent for Bangladesh, 29 percent for Pakistan, and 26 percent for India. As with other countries around the world, South Asian governments now face a difficult choice: to retaliate or attempt to negotiate with the mercurial U.S. president.

Southeast Asia

The region’s governments are scrambling to respond to the Trump administration’s punitive “reciprocal” tariffs, which have come into effect this week. Southeast Asia was among the regions hardest hit by the tariffs announced by President Donald Trump on April 2, with rates ranging from 10 percent (Singapore) to 49 percent (Cambodia). Facing a serious threat to their export-led growth models, most Southeast Asian governments have announced that they are open to negotiations, offering to purchase more U.S. goods or to lower their own tariffs on U.S. goods to zero. However, comments from Trump and members of his inner circle have raised doubts about whether Washington is open to dialogue on the tariffs. In any event, the long-term impact to the United States’ reputation as a reliable economic partner to the region could be lasting.

Central Asia

Europe may be late to the party, but its timing couldn't be better. Last week, the EU’s twin heads – European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and President of the European Council Antonio Costa – traveled to Samarkand to meet with the five presidents of Central Asia. Amid increased regional cooperation, the ongoing Russian war in Ukraine, China’s growing heft in Central Asia, and U.S. retrenchment globally, the EU stands as a ready and willing partner for the region.

Data Source: Zero2IPO

China has ramped up the use of government guidance funds (GGFs) in hopes of incubating indigenous technological innovation in strategic sectors.

Security

Daku Raj, Urdu for “bandit rule,” a problem that plagues parts of Sindh and Punjab in Pakistan.