Latest Stories
Trump and Xi Spoke on the Phone, But Differ on What Was Said
Trump spoke of agreements on visits and TikTok, while China's readout was more circumspect.
Returning to Identity Politics in Assam
The Assam government’s decisions on land transfers are likely to reignite tensions in a state with a history of violence against alleged outsiders.
Indian Navy’s Growing Role in Securing the Indian Ocean
India’s navy is the only one that operates persistently between Qatar, the forward HQ of the US CENTCOM, and the Malacca Strait, which leads into the South China Sea.
How Japan’s Active Cyber Defense Is Changing Its International Cooperation
While ACD removes structural barriers to cooperation, at the same time it is supposed to gradually reduce Japan’s overreliance on U.S. cyberdefense systems.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia Forge Strategic Defense Pact Amid Shifting West Asian Dynamics
This is Pakistan’s most significant formal defense pact in decades, and the first such agreement that an Arab Gulf state has inked with a nuclear-armed partner.
Inside China’s Surveillance and Propaganda Industries: Where Profit Meets Party
Leaked documents from Geedge Networks and GoLaxy show how repression in China is both a political imperative and a profitable business.
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
Inside China’s Surveillance and Propaganda Industries: Where Profit Meets Party
Leaked documents from Geedge Networks and GoLaxy show how repression in China is both a political imperative and a profitable business.
The Complex Politics of China’s Belt and Road Initiative
Deep Space, Deep Strategy: China’s Cosmic Calculus
Taiwan’s Successful Japan Diplomacy
Flashpoints
Diplomacy by Other Means
North Korean Leader Inspects Unmanned Weapons Performance Test
Kim Jong Un showed his tit-for-tat move against the latest South Korea-U.S. military drills.
US Foreign Policy Is Restructuring the World Order to China’s Benefit
The Tianjin Summit and the Illusion of a China-India-Russia Axis
The China Factor Dooming Russia-Ukraine Peace Talks
Asia Defense
Militaries of the Asia-Pacific
Indian Navy’s Growing Role in Securing the Indian Ocean
India’s navy is the only one that operates persistently between Qatar, the forward HQ of the US CENTCOM, and the Malacca Strait, which leads into the South China Sea.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia Forge Strategic Defense Pact Amid Shifting West Asian Dynamics
Japan Is Sending F-15Js to Canada and Europe for the First Time
What Singapore’s Poseidon Purchase Tells Us About Its Foreign Policy Worldview
ASEAN Beat
Insights Into Half a Billion
The Whoosh Debt Dilemma: Should Public Transportation Be Profitable?
That Indonesia’s costly high-speed rail is operating at a loss right out of the gate has raised some eyebrows.
Thailand Looks to Plan Ahead for Future War Zone Evacuations
From Scam Centers to Scam State: The Road to Myanmar’s Scam Election
#SEAblings: The New Southeast Asian Transnational Solidarity Campaign
The Pulse
Perspectives on South Asia
Returning to Identity Politics in Assam
The Assam government’s decisions on land transfers are likely to reignite tensions in a state with a history of violence against alleged outsiders.
International Recognition Could Fracture the Taliban from Within
When Women Betray Women: The Female Face of Afghanistan’s Oppression
Why Are Muslims Turning on Muslims in Bangladesh?
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
How Japan’s Active Cyber Defense Is Changing Its International Cooperation
While ACD removes structural barriers to cooperation, at the same time it is supposed to gradually reduce Japan’s overreliance on U.S. cyberdefense systems.
The Japanese Youth Strike Back
What the China-Russia WWII Narrative Alignment Means for Japan
The ‘Demon Slayer’ Phenomenon and Japan’s Evolving Anime Industry
The Debate
Comment and Opinion
US Southeast Asia Scam Sanctions: The Good, the Bad, and the Incoherent
Treasury’s latest sanctions show momentum, but contradictions in U.S. policy risk blunting their impact.
The Hyundai Raid Reflects a Broken US Immigration System
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
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 and Xi Spoke on the Phone, But Differ on What Was Said
Trump spoke of agreements on visits and TikTok, while China's readout was more circumspect.
Trump’s TikTok Deal Is Lose-Lose Diplomacy
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
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.