Region
East Asia
North Korea Continues Blitz of Missile Testing With 2 SRBMs
By Mitch Shin
North Korea conducted its seventh round of ballistic missile tests in two weeks, and Kim Jong Un oversaw drills by “tactical nuclear operation units.”
China’s Political ‘Coalitions of the Weak’
By Mercy A. Kuo
Insights from Victor C. Shih.
Abe Shinzo’s Political Faction to Select a New Leader
By Mina Pollmann
The former prime minister still headed up the LDP's largest legislative faction at the time of his assassination. Can the next leader keep the group intact?
The CCP’s Changing Understanding of the Soviet Union’s Collapse
By Zhuoran Li
The CCP has always been invested in avoiding the fate of its Soviet counterpart. But Chinese leaders’ lessons from the Soviet collapse have changed over the years.
Russian Citizens Flooding Into Mongolia to Evade Conscription
By Bolor Lkhaajav
Mongolia is not typically a destination for refugees. Now it is having to figure out a policy response on the fly.
North Korea Flies Warplanes Near South After Missile Launches
By Hyung-Jin Kim and Kim Tong-Hyung
Eight North Korean fighter jets and four bombers flew in formation near the inter-Korean border in a new escalation.
NATO’s China Challenge
By Michael Trinkwalder
Despite, or rather because of, the Russia-Ukraine War, the West finally appears willing to take on the challenge of a rising China – perhaps even in the Indo-Pacific.
South Korean Defense Sources Express Concerns About Unreliable F-35 Fighters
By A.B. Abrams
The worries echo a litany of complaints made by U.S. military officials about the fifth-generation fighter.
What to Watch for at the 20th Party Congress: The Work Report
By Shannon Tiezzi
Though too often overlooked, the Party Congress work report will set the tone for China’s goals and priorities for the next five years.
UN Human Rights Council Rejects Western Bid to Debate China’s Xinjiang Abuses
By Jamey Keaten
China managed to convince enough states to narrowly defeat a motion to hold a debate on Xinjiang – the least intrusive form of scrutiny that the council could seek.
China’s Real Takeaway From the War in Ukraine: Grey Zone Conflict Is Best
By Tobias Burgers and Scott N. Romaniuk
The steep costs of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will bolster China's continued use of its effective salami-slicing and grey zone tactics.
North Korea Fires 2 SRBMs as US, South Korea, Japan Organize Missile Defense Drills
By Mitch Shin
Two days after it launched an intermediate-range ballistic missile over Japan, North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles into the sea off its east coast.