Latest Stories
Death Penalty Reinstatement ‘Legally Impossible,’ Kyrgyz Constitutional Court Says
Kyrgyzstan abolished capital punishment in 2007; President Japarov has suggested reinstating it as a way to confront horrific crimes against women and children.
The Takaichi Factor: Recalibrating the India-Japan Strategic Equation
With Japan entering a more security-driven and domestically oriented phase under Takaichi, India must adjust its approach to the relationship accordingly.
Pakistan and Afghanistan: Can the ‘Mother of All Relations’ Be Fixed?
The current conflict is the most serious since the Taliban’s return in 2021. Yet it is also a logical extension of the never-ending tensions between the two countries.
No, Hong Kong’s Governance Is Not Becoming Like China’s. It’s Actually Worse.
Hong Kong is stuck in a governance vacuum, where neither democratic nor authoritarian accountability functions effectively.
Petition Against Kazakhstan’s Proposed ‘LGBTQ Propaganda’ Law Rejected
The law is set for consideration in the Senate next week.
North Korea Kicks off Workers’ Party Plenary Meeting
North Korea’s state-controlled media reported that Pyongyang began a plenary meeting to prepare for the upcoming Ninth Congress of the ruling WPK.
Most Read
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.
US Steps up Defense Cooperation in Southeast Asia
Washington is making progress with a range of states: from staunch ally the Philippines to newer partner Vietnam and even Cambodia, where China's influence dominates.
Blogs
China Power
A New World Order
No, Hong Kong’s Governance Is Not Becoming Like China’s. It’s Actually Worse.
Hong Kong is stuck in a governance vacuum, where neither democratic nor authoritarian accountability functions effectively.
China’s Diplomatic Machinery Is Wearing Thin
What Does China Want? Depends Which China You’re Talking About.
From Theft to Labubu: The Evolution of Intellectual Property Protection in China
Flashpoints
Diplomacy by Other Means
Trump to Hold Peace Talks With Cambodian and Thai Leaders
The death toll is mounting after four days of fierce fighting and Thai aerial bombardments .
The Problem With Taiwan’s $40 Billion Defense Budget
Putin’s India Visit Reveals New Delhi’s Complicated Strategy
Japan, China Trade Accusations Over Radar Lock-on Near Okinawa
Asia Defense
Militaries of the Asia-Pacific
100 Ships at Sea: Strategic Observations on the Chinese Navy’s 2025 Winter Exercises
The PLAN’s deployments – the biggest to date – stretched from the southern Yellow Sea through the East and South China Seas and deep into the Western Pacific.
Putin and Modi Affirm Russia-India Defense Relations
Breaking the North Korea-Russia Missile Axis
Thailand’s Aircraft Carrier, the Chakri Naruebet, Charts a New Course
ASEAN Beat
Insights Into Half a Billion
Sauna Raid Highlights Growing Restrictions on Malaysia’s LGBTQ+ Community
Queer community organizations mobilized to help release over 200 men detained following a police raid on a sauna believed to have been used for “immoral activities."
Chinese Court Orders Malaysia Airlines to Pay Compensation Over Missing Flight MH370
Myanmar’s National Unity Government in 2025: A Series of Unfortunate Events?
Malaysia’s PM Calls for Calm After Conflict Reignites Between Thailand and Cambodia
The Pulse
Perspectives on South Asia
Pakistan and Afghanistan: Can the ‘Mother of All Relations’ Be Fixed?
The current conflict is the most serious since the Taliban’s return in 2021. Yet it is also a logical extension of the never-ending tensions between the two countries.
India’s Climate Diplomacy Must Account for Domestic Inequalities
India at COP30: A Mismatch Between Grandstanding and Climate Action
Where Is the Mosque That Was to Replace the Demolished Babri Masjid?
The Koreas
Divided Peninsula
North Korea Kicks off Workers’ Party Plenary Meeting
North Korea’s state-controlled media reported that Pyongyang began a plenary meeting to prepare for the upcoming Ninth Congress of the ruling WPK.
South Korea’s Unification Minister Is Not Happy With DMZ Administration
Lee Jae-myung’s Latest Policy Signals to North Korea
One Year After Martial Law Debacle, South Korea’s New President Vows to Complete ‘Light Revolution’
Tokyo Report
News From Japan
The Takaichi Factor: Recalibrating the India-Japan Strategic Equation
With Japan entering a more security-driven and domestically oriented phase under Takaichi, India must adjust its approach to the relationship accordingly.
Japan Reacts to the New US National Security Strategy
What a China-US Detente Mean for Japanese Foreign Policy
Former Japanese PM Ishiba Shigeru Has Thoughts on His Successor
The Debate
Comment and Opinion
Myanmar Photojournalist Sai Zaw Should Be Able to Report Freely. He Should Not Be In Prison.
A colleague describes the reality of being a journalist in a country under military control and shares insights into Sai Zaw’s life in prison.
What Afghanistan Taught Us — And Why Libya May Be Lost If the Lesson Is Ignored
For Rohingya Women in Bangladesh, Digital Freedom Is a Distant Ideal
Timor-Leste’s Digital Statecraft
Crossroads Asia
The New Silk Road
Death Penalty Reinstatement ‘Legally Impossible,’ Kyrgyz Constitutional Court Says
Kyrgyzstan abolished capital punishment in 2007; President Japarov has suggested reinstating it as a way to confront horrific crimes against women and children.
Petition Against Kazakhstan’s Proposed ‘LGBTQ Propaganda’ Law Rejected
Kambarata-1 to See Joint Financing From Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan in 2026
Mongolia and Cuba’s Diplomatic Relations: Past, Present, and Future
Trans-Pacific View
U.S. Policy on Asia
India and the Indo-Pacific in Trump’s Second-term Strategy
The new National Security Strategy offers important insights into how a second Trump presidency views the Indo-Pacific and the role India is expected to play within it.
US Steps up Defense Cooperation in Southeast Asia
Trump–Xi and Strategic Recalibration
Try, Try Again: New Bills Submitted to Address the Jackson-Vanik Problem
Pacific Money
Economy And Business
Vietnam’s 2026 Budget, Explained
Strong economic performance sent government revenue soaring in 2025, putting the country in an enviable fiscal position.
The Ford-CATL Deal Should Become the Model for China-US Economic Cooperation
Is China’s Real Estate Crisis Driving the Next Stage of Homegrown Innovation?
China vs. Korea: Who Is Winning the Battery Battle in Hungary?
Oceania
The South Pacific
Australia’s Social Media Age Ban Is Days Away. Here Is What It Really Means.
Public debate on the ban has focused on parenting choices. But the real issue is corporate compliance, technical design, and safe spaces for young people.
The $500 Mistake: Why International Students in Australia Are Selling Their Bank Accounts to Criminals
Australia’s National AI Plan Has Just Been Released. Who Exactly Will Benefit?
How Best to Defend Australia’s Democracy in the Digital Age?
Videos
Asia on Video
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.
How Southeast Asia Became the Scam Capital of the World
Inside China’s Rare Earth Empire: The Hidden Costs in Myanmar
Modi and the Mullahs: India’s Embrace of the Taliban
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.
