Latest Stories
China’s Rare Earth Dominance and Germany’s Defense Industry
Insights from Jakob Kullik.
South Korea Considers Setting up a Special Tribunal for Insurrection
Both legal and political hurdles remain.
Pakistan’s Anti-terrorism Efforts Complicated by Political Differences
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government’s prioritization of dialogue with the TTP is at odds with the federal government’s focus on military operations.
Sri Lanka’s SCO No-show: The Price of Absence
Even after a week, the government has not offered a single, clear explanation for its leaders’ absence.
With FM Visit, Germany and India Advance Their Strategic Partnership
Germany is pivoting toward India, seeking to secure its interests and ensure a reliable ally in the Indo-Pacific region.
Tracking Conflict in the Asia-Pacific: September 2025 Update
In August, the Myanmar navy increasingly relied on air support to fight resistance forces, and Indonesia’s anti-government demonstrations turned deadly.
Most Read
Nepal’s Gen Z Force Prime Minister Oli to Resign
With his resignation, Oli has become the latest casualty of mass protests in South Asian countries.
The US Is Rethinking the India-Pakistan Dynamic
Washington’s South Asia strategy is shifting, and it is this recalibration – rather than tariffs – that threatens to inject lasting volatility into ties with New Delhi.
What Did Central Asia Get Out of the SCO?
For Central Asia, the SCO has become a venue for deepening relations with China and managing relations with Russia.
Magazine
Can ASEAN Truly Remain Neutral Between the US and China?
Malaysia’s approach as chair epitomizes the bloc’s difficult balancing act.
Kabul Will Never Be the Same Again
24 years after the U.S. invasion, and four years after the Taliban’s triumphant return to power, the question lingers: Were the war’s many sacrifices worth anything?
Memory as Destiny: China and East Asia 80 Years After World War II
History in East Asia is never just history. It is weaponized, re-scripted, and deeply entangled in present-day struggles for legitimacy, identity, and power.
Napon Jatusripitak on How the Cambodia-Thailand Tensions Spiraled Into Conflict
“These flashpoints alone cannot account for the speed or scale of the escalation, or the intensity of the nationalist fervor it has unleashed.”
Blogs
China Power
A New World Order
For Beijing’s Foreign Disinformation, the Era of AI-Driven Operations Has Arrived
From content generation to operational refinement, China-linked accounts are increasingly using generative AI to support influence operations.
Why Hungary Is Sticking Close to China
President Lai Ching-te’s Catch-22
China’s Post-2018 Economic Statecraft: Sanctions, Countersanctions, and Export Controls
Flashpoints
Diplomacy by Other Means
Tracking Conflict in the Asia-Pacific: September 2025 Update
In August, the Myanmar navy increasingly relied on air support to fight resistance forces, and Indonesia’s anti-government demonstrations turned deadly.
Rational Alignment in Multipolar Competition: India and Russia’s Strategic Pull Toward China
The SCO Tianjin Summit: Unity in Pageantry, Division in Practice?
The Triumvirate’s Triple Win: What Xi, Putin, and Kim Each Gained in Beijing
Asia Defense
Militaries of the Asia-Pacific
Despite Political Headwinds, India and US Continue Military Cooperation
Military-to-military engagements that advance both capacity building and capability enhancement between India and the United States are quietly continuing.
At 2+2, Japan, Australia Hail Milestone in Defense Cooperation
US Sends Signal Via Pakistan to Beijing on Counterterrorism Cooperation
India’s Silent Drone Revolution
ASEAN Beat
Insights Into Half a Billion
US Government Announces New Sanctions on Scam Networks in Myanmar, Cambodia
The U.S. Treasury Department says that Americans lost more than $10 billion to Southeast Asia-based scammers in 2024.
Thai Court Orders Former PM Thaksin to Serve 1 Year in Prison
Indonesian Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Removed in Cabinet Reshuffle
Ex-Thai PM Thaksin Expected Back in Thailand for Crucial Court Verdict
The Pulse
Perspectives on South Asia
Pakistan’s Anti-terrorism Efforts Complicated by Political Differences
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government’s prioritization of dialogue with the TTP is at odds with the federal government’s focus on military operations.
Sri Lanka’s SCO No-show: The Price of Absence
With FM Visit, Germany and India Advance Their Strategic Partnership
A Moment of Reckoning for the Future of India’s National Power
The Koreas
Divided Peninsula
Tokyo Report
News From Japan
Japan-South Korea Relations: Summit Signals Change in Direction
The neighbors now appear ready to work together again, even in response to U.S. policies.
As Ishiba Steps Down, Japan Will Get Yet Another New Prime Minister
Prince Hisahito and Japan’s Imperial Future
How Japan Won the Bid to Supply Australia’s Next-Generation Frigate
The Debate
Comment and Opinion
Afghanistan: When Disaster Meets Gender Apartheid
Unless the world acts with resolve, every disaster – whether natural or man-made – will continue to claim Afghan women and children first.
No, China’s Isn’t Leading an Anti-West Bloc
China’s Parade of Power
Why Bangladesh’s Soldiers Who Gunned Down Civilians Should Be Tried by Civilian Courts
Crossroads Asia
The New Silk Road
In Annual State of the Nation Address, Tokayev Proposes a Unicameral Parliament for Kazakhstan
He urged the parliament not to act in “haste” to fulfill that proposal, floating 2027 as a date for yet another constitutional referendum.
Trump Holds Call With Uzbek President, a Shouted Question About Kazakhstan Steals Headlines
China-Mongolia-Russia Agreement on Power of Siberia 2 Could Reroute Energy Trade
Mongolia Exits SCO Observer Status, Draws Closer to China and Russia
Trans-Pacific View
U.S. Policy on Asia
Trump’s Policies Strain South Korea-US Alliance
The shocking detention of 300 South Korean employees in Georgia shows how little the Trump administration values the “ironclad” alliance between the two countries.
India-US Relations in the Shadow of American Decline
The US Is Rethinking the India-Pakistan Dynamic
The Blind Spots of Trump 2.0’s Indo-Pacific Strategy
Pacific Money
Economy And Business
Is Vietnam Becoming the New Thailand?
Despite COVID-19 and global trade tensions, Vietnam's exports and current account surplus continue to grow.
Evergrande’s Delisting Exposes China’s Slow Bankruptcy Trap
US Tariffs Turn the Screws on India’s Indigenous Industries
US Policy Shift Complicates South Korean Semiconductor Operations in China
Oceania
The South Pacific
Reforming Australia’s Migration to Favor Skilled Workers, Not Family Reunion
Australia’s migration program has failed to deliver what it promises. It brings in relatively few genuinely skilled workers, while favoring family migration.
Australia’s Real Immigration Problem
What to Make of the Australian Defense Minister’s ‘Happenstance Encounter’ at the Pentagon
Porepunkah Shooting Highlights Threat ‘Sovereign Citizens’ Pose to Australia
Videos
Asia on Video
Podcasts
Asia Geopolitics
What Actually Mattered at China’s Big Military Parade?
It was a big week for China, hosting an SCO Summit in Tianjin and then a massive military parade in Beijing. The world was watching closely.
South Korea’s Lee Hits the Road to Japan and the United States
Geopolitical Ripple Effects: US-Russia, China-India, and More
Reviewing Thailand and Cambodia’s July 2025 Border Skirmish
Photo Essays
Asia in Pictures
Self-Help Groups Are Transforming Women’s Lives in India
For decades, men ruled the farms in Bihar. Now, it’s women who are reshaping the agricultural economy.