Latest Stories
The Complex Politics of China’s Belt and Road Initiative
China’s limited success in managing the political risks of the BRI has resulted in reputational costs and played a role in China’s curtailed flow of BRI lending in recent years.
The Hyundai Raid Reflects a Broken US Immigration System
It is nearly impossible for even the closest U.S. allies to comply with its byzantine immigration system. That needs to change.
What Is Driving Closer Japan-Mongolia Ties?
Geopolitics in East Asia is pushing Ulaanbaatar and Tokyo to rely more on each other.
The Japanese Youth Strike Back
Recent trends cast doubt on the long-standing assumption that young people in Japan are politically irrelevant.
US Foreign Policy Is Restructuring the World Order to China’s Benefit
Unlike when the U.S. held unipolar power, times have changed as China and the BRICS countries begin fashioning a non-militarized, multipolar world.
The Tianjin Summit and the Illusion of a China-India-Russia Axis
China is willing to stand with non-Western partners firmly, but remains determined to avoid Cold War-style alliances.
Most Read
What China Wants With Global Governance
While increasingly widespread, the view of China as an existential challenge to the current world order reflects political alarmism more than sober analysis.
Afghanistan’s Qosh Tepa Canal and the Paradox of Central Asian Water Politics
For Afghanistan, the canal is a symbol of sovereignty and hope. For its neighbors, it is a looming ecological and economic crisis.
Is Vietnam Becoming the New Thailand?
Despite COVID-19 and global trade tensions, Vietnam's exports and current account surplus continue to grow.
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
The Complex Politics of China’s Belt and Road Initiative
China’s limited success in managing the political risks of the BRI has resulted in reputational costs and played a role in China’s curtailed flow of BRI lending in recent years.
Deep Space, Deep Strategy: China’s Cosmic Calculus
Taiwan’s Successful Japan Diplomacy
China Is Still Struggling to Manage Local Debt Stress
Flashpoints
Diplomacy by Other Means
US Foreign Policy Is Restructuring the World Order to China’s Benefit
Unlike when the U.S. held unipolar power, times have changed as China and the BRICS countries begin fashioning a non-militarized, multipolar world.
The Tianjin Summit and the Illusion of a China-India-Russia Axis
The China Factor Dooming Russia-Ukraine Peace Talks
Why the Renaming of the US Department of War Matters
Asia Defense
Militaries of the Asia-Pacific
Japan Is Sending F-15Js to Canada and Europe for the First Time
With dispatches to the U.S., Canada, the U.K., and Germany, the JASDF is expanding the scope of fighter jet activities.
What Singapore’s Poseidon Purchase Tells Us About Its Foreign Policy Worldview
EU, India Advance Defense Cooperation With Naval Exercises
Singapore’s First F-35 Fighter Set for Delivery by End of 2026, Defense Minister Says
ASEAN Beat
Insights Into Half a Billion
Thailand Looks to Plan Ahead for Future War Zone Evacuations
After evacuating thousands of Thais from Israel in 2023, the Thai military is thinking more about how it could get citizens out of other hotspots.
From Scam Centers to Scam State: The Road to Myanmar’s Scam Election
#SEAblings: The New Southeast Asian Transnational Solidarity Campaign
China Warns Philippines Against ‘Disruptive’ Actions After Patrols With US, Japan
The Pulse
Perspectives on South Asia
When Women Betray Women: The Female Face of Afghanistan’s Oppression
Taliban women willingly uphold and enforce the regime’s harsh ideology, fully embracing the strict roles assigned to them.
Why Are Muslims Turning on Muslims in Bangladesh?
Internet Shutdown in Afghanistan Threatens Women’s Education and Media Freedom
BNP Could Win Bangladesh’s National Elections for the Same Reason Shibir Is Sweeping Campuses
The Koreas
Divided Peninsula
The Devil Is in the Details: US and South Korea Seek Alliance Modernization, But How?
It’s not clear that common worldviews will be enough to keep the alliance moving in a positive direction.
South Korea in the Indo-Pacific: a ‘Force Multiplier’ in the Making?
South Korean President Holds Press Conference to Mark 100 Days in Office
South Korea Considers Setting up a Special Tribunal for Insurrection
Tokyo Report
News From Japan
The Japanese Youth Strike Back
Recent trends cast doubt on the long-standing assumption that young people in Japan are politically irrelevant.
What the China-Russia WWII Narrative Alignment Means for Japan
The ‘Demon Slayer’ Phenomenon and Japan’s Evolving Anime Industry
The Top Priority for Japan’s Next Prime Minister: The Economy
The Debate
Comment and Opinion
The Hyundai Raid Reflects a Broken US Immigration System
It is nearly impossible for even the closest U.S. allies to comply with its byzantine immigration system. That needs to change.
Taliban Leaders Cross Borders While Afghan Women Can’t Cross Their Doorsteps: 5 Steps to End This Injustice
Cambodia’s Decline Under 2 Years of Hun Manet
Sri Lanka is on the Front Line of the Battle for Accountability
Crossroads Asia
The New Silk Road
What Is Driving Closer Japan-Mongolia Ties?
Geopolitics in East Asia is pushing Ulaanbaatar and Tokyo to rely more on each other.
Kloop Cameramen Sentenced to 5 Years For Videos They Didn’t Make
What Are China and Central Asia’s Shared Interests in Afghanistan?
In Early 2026, Uzbekistan Aims to Conduct First Census Since 1989
Trans-Pacific View
U.S. Policy on Asia
Trump’s TikTok Deal Is Lose-Lose Diplomacy
The deal permits American companies to spend billions for an algorithm ultimately controlled by the CCP. How did we get here?
If the US Retreats to the Western Hemisphere, What Happens to Asia?
How Indiana Became a Stronghold for Tibetan Culture – and the Dalai Lama’s Influence
Brazil and Mexico Chart Different Courses Amid China-US Tensions
Pacific Money
Economy And Business
Sri Lanka’s Development Financing Crossroads: Lessons for a Post-Aid Era
Sri Lanka faces both the constraints of a post-crisis economy and the opportunities of a shifting global aid architecture.
From Foundry to Forum: Taiwan’s Repositioning in the New Semiconductor Order
Is Vietnam Becoming the New Thailand?
Evergrande’s Delisting Exposes China’s Slow Bankruptcy Trap
Oceania
The South Pacific
New Zealand Looks to Europe for Defense Industrial Partnerships
NATO diplomacy signals New Zealand’s shift toward Europe, and its ambitions to expand dual-use technology exports to the region.
Reforming Australia’s Migration to Favor Skilled Workers, Not Family Reunion
Australia’s Real Immigration Problem
What to Make of the Australian Defense Minister’s ‘Happenstance Encounter’ at the Pentagon
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.