Topic
Politics
Assessing Taiwan’s Presidential Election Results
By Mercy A. Kuo
Insights from Benjamin Tsai.
Japan’s Crisis of Confidence
By Yann Messager
Scandal after scandal has plagued the country since the late Abe era, each one further eroding public trust (and even interest) in government.
Richard Eaton on the Desecration of Hindu Temples in India
By Sudha Ramachandran
Kings, irrespective of their religious faith, adopted “the highly selective method” of isolating "for desecration only those temples that were identified with enemy kings.”
Is Vietnam Entering Uncharted Waters?
By Carl Thayer
The recent prolonged absence of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong raised the question of how the Communist Party might deal with a leader's incapacitation or death.
Cambodian PM Sacks City Mayor Amid Firings and Demotions
By Luke Hunt
Diplomats posted to Phnom Penh expect the new leader's bureaucratic shake-out to continue.
Myanmar Military Breaks China-Brokered Ceasefire, Resistance Groups Say
By Sebastian Strangio
The collapse of the agreement brokered in Kunming on Friday demonstrates the limits of Chinese influence in northern Myanmar.
Southeast Asia Likes Polarization – and That’s Not a Bad Thing
By David Hutt
The region's problem is not that there is too much political contestation, but rather that there is not enough.
India’s Opposition Parties Set to Skip Ram Temple Inauguration Event
By Snigdhendu Bhattacharya
Their decisions seem bold, given that the BJP’s rise has prompted many of them earlier to adopt strategies seeking to appease the Hindu majority.
People’s Democratic Party Wins Elections in Bhutan
By Santosh Sharma Poudel
Unlike in other parts of South Asia, where elections are plagued with controversy, Bhutan’s fourth general election was peaceful and not divisive.
Taiwan’s DPP Wins Presidency, Falls Short in Legislature
By Brian Hioe
Lai Ching-te won with a plurality, largely due to a divided opposition. But the loss of the DPP's legislative majority is a warning sign for the party moving forward.
The Facade of Australia Day Deserves to Crumble
By Dechlan Brennan
No other country celebrates the dismantling of one Indigenous group’s way of life as their national day like Australia does.
Why Japan Needs Its Own Version of FEMA
By Takahashi Kosuke
A series of tragedies thus far in 2024 shows why it’s high time to establish a specialized agency for disaster management.