Latest Stories
China-India: Transactional Thaw or Structured Détente?
Bilateral relations between India and China have long followed a cyclical pattern: sporadic escalations give way to limited accommodation, only to relapse when structural disputes resurface.
China’s Post-2018 Economic Statecraft: Sanctions, Countersanctions, and Export Controls
Where China once relied primarily on informal measures, its approach has gradually evolved into a more institutionalized and complex set of tools.
India-US Relations in the Shadow of American Decline
With the sun setting on the U.S. empire and decline in Indo-U.S. ties, India is leveraging the multipolarity of the international system to diversify its relations, increase trade with Russia and reset relations with China.
No, China’s Isn’t Leading an Anti-West Bloc
Two meetings that didn't happen alongside the recent SCO summit and military parade show Beijing is not planning to confront the West.
Mongolia Exits SCO Observer Status, Draws Closer to China and Russia
Mongolia declined to transition to a new “SCO partner” label. Instead, it’s emphasizing trilateral cooperation with China and Russia.
Thailand’s Parliament Elects Anutin Charnvirakul as Next Prime Minister
The vote brings to an end a week of political uncertainty, but Thailand's political instability seems set to continue.
Most Read
Who’s Coming to China’s 2025 Victory Day Military Parade?
There are some notable attendees – hello, Kim Jong Un – but just as interesting is who’s not coming.
Roads and High-Rises Have Made Himalayan Towns Prone to Disaster
Recently, Dharali in the western Himalayas was swept away by floods. Darjeeling in the eastern Himalayas could suffer the same fate.
What’s Behind the Cancellation of Singapore’s Fighter Jet Basing in Guam?
Both nations arguably had sound reasons to shelve the agreement, which would have established a permanent base for the RSAF's F-15s.
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
China’s Post-2018 Economic Statecraft: Sanctions, Countersanctions, and Export Controls
Where China once relied primarily on informal measures, its approach has gradually evolved into a more institutionalized and complex set of tools.
China’s Neighborhood Diplomacy Comes of Age in Southeast Asia
A ‘Loser’s Nation’ and the Abandoned Chinese Dream
China’s Bargain, Russia’s Lifeline: The Geopolitics of Power of Siberia 2
Flashpoints
Diplomacy by Other Means
China-India: Transactional Thaw or Structured Détente?
Bilateral relations between India and China have long followed a cyclical pattern: sporadic escalations give way to limited accommodation, only to relapse when structural disputes resurface.
FCC Gives the US a Boost in Subsea Cable Competition With China
The Geopolitical Message of China’s Military Parade
India-China Competition in the Western Indian Ocean
Asia Defense
Militaries of the Asia-Pacific
Deciphering the Military Signals of China’s Victory Day Parade
The display of hardware at the parade contained clues about the types of missions and conflicts that Beijing expects for its military, as well as its current threat perceptions.
What Were the Weapons on Display in China’s Military Parade?
What the China Coast Guard-PLAN Ship Collision Reveals About China’s Military Capabilities
Japan’s Defense Ministry Requests Largest Ever Budget for Fiscal Year 2026
ASEAN Beat
Insights Into Half a Billion
Thailand’s Parliament Elects Anutin Charnvirakul as Next Prime Minister
The vote brings to an end a week of political uncertainty, but Thailand's political instability seems set to continue.
Philippine Business Groups Call For Action on ‘Excessive’ Corruption
A Death in Jakarta: Police Violence and the Crisis of Accountability
Indonesia Fires Officer Involved in Police Killing That Ignited Violent Protests
The Pulse
Perspectives on South Asia
After Devastating Earthquake, Afghanistan Is Still Caught in the Sanctions Trap
Afghanistan’s post-quake humanitarian catastrophe is to a large extent the predictable outcome of sanctions that strangle the economy and cut off financial lifelines.
Bangladesh Erases Mujibur Rahman’s Legacy
Indus Waters Treaty: From Cooperative Vision to Calculated Confrontation
‘Illegal Migration’ and the Weaponization of Indigeneity in Assam
The Koreas
Divided Peninsula
The Dark Side of China-North Korea Cooperation: Forced Labor
The Kim-Xi bonhomie shouldn’t overshadow the suffering of North Korea’s “state-dispatched workers” to China.
Kim Jong Un Attends China’s Military Parade
PPP’s New Leader Vows to ‘Bring Down’ the Lee Jae-myung Administration
North Korea’s Processed Goods Push Meets China’s Cold Market Reality
Tokyo Report
News From Japan
Prince Hisahito and Japan’s Imperial Future
Hisahito’s position as the only eligible male heir to the Chrysanthemum Throne has generated intense interest in his life – and public debate about Japan’s male-only imperial succession.
How Japan Won the Bid to Supply Australia’s Next-Generation Frigate
Court Rulings and Public Opinion on Same-Sex Marriage in Japan
A New Beginning for Japan-South Korea Relations – Again
The Debate
Comment and Opinion
No, China’s Isn’t Leading an Anti-West Bloc
Two meetings that didn't happen alongside the recent SCO summit and military parade show Beijing is not planning to confront the West.
China’s Parade of Power
Why Bangladesh’s Soldiers Who Gunned Down Civilians Should Be Tried by Civilian Courts
BIGD’s Pulse Survey Was About Voicing Citizens’ Hopes and Concerns, Not Predicting the Election Outcome
Crossroads Asia
The New Silk Road
Mongolia Exits SCO Observer Status, Draws Closer to China and Russia
Mongolia declined to transition to a new “SCO partner” label. Instead, it’s emphasizing trilateral cooperation with China and Russia.
Will the Kyrgyz Parliament Dissolve Itself?
Date Set for Uzbekistan to Sign Enhance Partnership Agreement With the European Union
What Did Central Asia Get Out of the SCO?
Trans-Pacific View
U.S. Policy on Asia
India-US Relations in the Shadow of American Decline
With the sun setting on the U.S. empire and decline in Indo-U.S. ties, India is leveraging the multipolarity of the international system to diversify its relations, increase trade with Russia and reset relations with China.
The US Is Rethinking the India-Pakistan Dynamic
The Blind Spots of Trump 2.0’s Indo-Pacific Strategy
Why Washington Can’t Ignore Bangladesh
Pacific Money
Economy And Business
US Tariffs Turn the Screws on India’s Indigenous Industries
While India recalibrates its export strategy and trade partnerships, structural domestic industrial reforms also need addressing.
US Policy Shift Complicates South Korean Semiconductor Operations in China
What Makes Digital Banks in Southeast Asia Successful?
The IRA Has Changed. Now the US Needs a New Nickel Strategy.
Oceania
The South Pacific
Australia’s Real Immigration Problem
Australia needs to think seriously about how to persuade those suspicious of immigration that it is an essential tool to bolster the national interest.
What to Make of the Australian Defense Minister’s ‘Happenstance Encounter’ at the Pentagon
Porepunkah Shooting Highlights Threat ‘Sovereign Citizens’ Pose to Australia
Australia Expels Iran’s Ambassador Over Antisemitic Attacks
Videos
Asia on Video
Podcasts
Asia Geopolitics
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.