Latest Stories
National Cabinet Agrees to Sweeping Overhaul of Australia’s Gun Laws in Response to Bondi Massacre
After the attack on Australia’s Jewish community, the government is undertaking the biggest overhaul of national gun laws since 1996. Critics say it's a deflection from the real issue: antisemitism.
Hong Kong Pro-Democracy Publisher Convicted of Sedition in Major Blow to Press Freedom
Jimmy Lai and his Apple Daily once symbolized Hong Kong’s free press. His conviction under the National Security Law is the death knell for that democratic ideal.
Australia: Regionalism as a Nexus to Great Power Politics
The alliance with the U.S. remains central to Canberra’s strategy, but it is also attempting to construct more independent, regionally-led security initiatives.
China’s 2025 White Paper on Latin America Sets the Stage for Renewed Competition With the US
The new document declared China’s intention to expand its influence on all fronts, even as the U.S. is turning its focus to the Western Hemisphere.
Sheikh Hasina’s Spokesperson Mohammad Ali Arafat on the ICT’s ‘Legally Void’ Sentence
“The death sentence handed down by this kangaroo court is legally void.”
Turbulence Hits Indian Skies
Flight cancellations by India’s largest flight operator, IndiGo, threw the domestic aviation sector into chaos early this month.
Most Read
What’s Really Changed in ‘New Uzbekistan’?
Since the 2016 death of the country’s first president, Islam Karimov, his successor, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, has strived to present himself as a reformer forging a “New Uzbekistan."
Japan’s Grim Demographic Reality
Can an anti-immigration turn really be compatible with a ‘Japan is Back’ narrative?
Why China Can’t Make Gwadar Work – Even After Billions Spent
Gwadar port has often been touted as CPEC’s “crown jewel.” Yet almost two decades after the port began operations, business has been lackluster.
Blogs
China Power
A New World Order
China’s 2025 White Paper on Latin America Sets the Stage for Renewed Competition With the US
The new document declared China’s intention to expand its influence on all fronts, even as the U.S. is turning its focus to the Western Hemisphere.
Honduras’ Electoral Breakdown Has Deep Implications for China and Taiwan
Chinese Electric Buses Are Thriving in Europe – Despite Security and Forced Labor Concerns
How Chinese Analysts Interpret Trump’s 2025 National Security Strategy
Flashpoints
Diplomacy by Other Means
What the Disappearance of the ‘One China’ Policy From Trump’s 2025 NSS Means for Taiwan
Is Washington moving away from the formula that has governed the tenuous Taiwan Strait equilibrium for 50 years?
Should China Be Reassured by Trump’s National Security Strategy?
France and Mauritius: Strengthening Ties in the Indian Ocean
Trump to Hold Peace Talks With Cambodian and Thai Leaders
Asia Defense
Militaries of the Asia-Pacific
China Bets on Unmanned Stealth Bombers
China’s focus on advanced UAVs offers critical insights into the People’s Liberation Army Air Force’s future airpower strategy.
100 Ships at Sea: Strategic Observations on the Chinese Navy’s 2025 Winter Exercises
Putin and Modi Affirm Russia-India Defense Relations
Breaking the North Korea-Russia Missile Axis
ASEAN Beat
Insights Into Half a Billion
Malaysia Postpones Special ASEAN Meeting on Thailand-Cambodia Conflict
The move came as China's government urged both nations to exercise "utmost restraint” and de-escalate tensions.
Thailand Schedules Snap General Election For February 8
The Sabah Duopoly and the Autonomy Ultimatum in East Malaysia
Philippines Claims Three Fishermen Injured in Skirmish With Chinese Coast Guard
The Pulse
Perspectives on South Asia
Turbulence Hits Indian Skies
Flight cancellations by India’s largest flight operator, IndiGo, threw the domestic aviation sector into chaos early this month.
US Weapons Left Behind in Afghanistan Are Fueling Militancy in Pakistan
What Trump’s New National Security Strategy Means for India
Will Nepal’s September Uprising Transform the Ballot?
The Koreas
Divided Peninsula
What to Make of North Korea’s End-of-Year Party Plenum
The plenum served as a primer for the bigger party congress that is yet to come.
North Korea Kicks off Workers’ Party Plenary Meeting
South Korea’s Unification Minister Is Not Happy With DMZ Administration
Lee Jae-myung’s Latest Policy Signals to North Korea
Tokyo Report
News From Japan
Will Japan’s First Woman Prime Minister Finally Tackle Violence Against Women?
How Takaichi's government addresses the implementation gap for existing laws will define whether her historic appointment translates into substantive progress for women's safety.
The Takaichi Factor: Recalibrating the India-Japan Strategic Equation
Japan Reacts to the New US National Security Strategy
What a China-US Detente Mean for Japanese Foreign Policy
The Debate
Comment and Opinion
Dictators Don’t Take Holidays
Myanmar's generals are counting on Western governments overlooking the sham election that they have scheduled for December 28.
In Asia, Political Power Is for Sale. Can Global Action Finally Rein It in?
Myanmar Photojournalist Sai Zaw Should Be Able to Report Freely. He Should Not Be In Prison.
What Afghanistan Taught Us — And Why Libya May Be Lost If the Lesson Is Ignored
Crossroads Asia
The New Silk Road
Land Degradation and Tajikistan’s Food Security Crisis
The country's small, fragmented farms and climate pressures threaten food security and economic stability.
Death Penalty Reinstatement ‘Legally Impossible,’ Kyrgyz Constitutional Court Says
Petition Against Kazakhstan’s Proposed ‘LGBTQ Propaganda’ Law Rejected
Kambarata-1 to See Joint Financing From Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan in 2026
Trans-Pacific View
U.S. Policy on Asia
America’s Pharmaceutical Dependence on China Is a National Security Crisis
China controls a staggering portion of the United States’ pharmaceutical supply chain – and that means U.S. access to medicine can be weaponized.
Trump 2.0 Southeast Asia Strategy Tests Agency Beyond the US-China Prism
Allowing Nvidia to Sell H200 Chips to China Is a Mistake
India and the Indo-Pacific in Trump’s Second-term Strategy
Pacific Money
Economy And Business
Why Indonesia Cancelled the Early Retirement of the Cirebon-1 Power Plant
As predicted, the early retirement of coal-fired power plants has run aground on the country's political economic realities.
China’s Fiscal Winter Is Freezing Out Local Businesses
Indonesia-US Trade Agreement at Risk of Collapse, Report Claims
Vietnam’s 2026 Budget, Explained
Oceania
The South Pacific
Bondi Shooting: Could Australia’s Worst Terrorist Attack on Home Soil Have Been Prevented?
After the deadly attack on a Hanukkah celebration, accusations arose that not enough has been done to protect Jewish Australians from a clear rise in antisemitism.
AUKUS After AUSMIN: Why Canberra Must Read Washington Clearly
Australia’s Social Media Age Ban Is Days Away. Here Is What It Really Means.
The $500 Mistake: Why International Students in Australia Are Selling Their Bank Accounts to Criminals
Videos
Asia on Video
What’s Really Changed in ‘New Uzbekistan’?
Since the 2016 death of the country’s first president, Islam Karimov, his successor, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, has strived to present himself as a reformer forging a “New Uzbekistan."
Why China Can’t Make Gwadar Work – Even After Billions Spent
How Southeast Asia Became the Scam Capital of the World
Inside China’s Rare Earth Empire: The Hidden Costs in Myanmar
Podcasts
Asia Geopolitics
Dissecting Trump’s Remarkably Odd US National Security Strategy
Half as long as his previous administration’s NSS, Trump’s newly revealed strategy is perhaps the clearest (though still confusing) outline of the U.S. president’s worldview.
