Latest Stories
Reforming Australia’s Migration to Favor Skilled Workers, Not Family Reunion
Australia’s migration program has failed to deliver what it promises. It brings in relatively few genuinely skilled workers, while favoring family migration.
Nepal’s Government Fires on Youth Protesters After Social Media Ban
Gen Z, the most digitally connected generation the country has ever known, is staking its claim to a future rooted in transparency, civic freedom, and fairness. Authorities must listen, not shoot.
The SCO Tianjin Summit: Unity in Pageantry, Division in Practice?
Despite the outright show of cohesion and unity, deep divisions persist among the SCO member states on core issues such as terrorism, water rights, and regional hegemony.
At 2+2, Japan, Australia Hail Milestone in Defense Cooperation
Despite PM Ishiba’s resignation, Japan will strengthen its security cooperation not only with the United States but also with quasi-allies such as Australia.
Afghanistan: When Disaster Meets Gender Apartheid
Unless the world acts with resolve, every disaster – whether natural or man-made – will continue to claim Afghan women and children first.
Trump Holds Call With Uzbek President, a Shouted Question About Kazakhstan Steals Headlines
As Uzbekistan’s fervor to share the momentous event of its president’s call with Trump demonstrates, it’s a big deal.
Most Read
The US Is Rethinking the India-Pakistan Dynamic
Washington’s South Asia strategy is shifting, and it is this recalibration – rather than tariffs – that threatens to inject lasting volatility into ties with New Delhi.
What Did Central Asia Get Out of the SCO?
For Central Asia, the SCO has become a venue for deepening relations with China and managing relations with Russia.
What the China Coast Guard-PLAN Ship Collision Reveals About China’s Military Capabilities
This incident not only illustrates the continued tensions in the South China Sea but also provides an opportunity to evaluate China’s maritime capabilities.
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
Why Hungary Is Sticking Close to China
Viktor Orban may be close to U.S. President Donald Trump, but he shows no signs of moving Hungary away from a deepening partnership with China.
President Lai Ching-te’s Catch-22
China’s Post-2018 Economic Statecraft: Sanctions, Countersanctions, and Export Controls
China’s Neighborhood Diplomacy Comes of Age in Southeast Asia
Flashpoints
Diplomacy by Other Means
The SCO Tianjin Summit: Unity in Pageantry, Division in Practice?
Despite the outright show of cohesion and unity, deep divisions persist among the SCO member states on core issues such as terrorism, water rights, and regional hegemony.
The Triumvirate’s Triple Win: What Xi, Putin, and Kim Each Gained in Beijing
China-India: Transactional Thaw or Structured Détente?
FCC Gives the US a Boost in Subsea Cable Competition With China
Asia Defense
Militaries of the Asia-Pacific
At 2+2, Japan, Australia Hail Milestone in Defense Cooperation
Despite PM Ishiba’s resignation, Japan will strengthen its security cooperation not only with the United States but also with quasi-allies such as Australia.
US Sends Signal Via Pakistan to Beijing on Counterterrorism Cooperation
India’s Silent Drone Revolution
Deciphering the Military Signals of China’s Victory Day Parade
ASEAN Beat
Insights Into Half a Billion
Ex-Thai PM Thaksin Expected Back in Thailand for Crucial Court Verdict
Thaksin Shinawatra left the country abruptly for Dubai last week, shortly before a scheduled prime ministerial vote in parliament.
Indonesia’s Unrest Revives Fears Over Military’s Expanding Role
Anutin Sworn in as Thai Prime Minister, Unveils First Cabinet Picks
Thailand’s Parliament Elects Anutin Charnvirakul as Next Prime Minister
The Pulse
Perspectives on South Asia
Nepal’s Government Fires on Youth Protesters After Social Media Ban
Gen Z, the most digitally connected generation the country has ever known, is staking its claim to a future rooted in transparency, civic freedom, and fairness. Authorities must listen, not shoot.
India’s Diplomatic Outreach in the US Beyond the White House
Pakistan’s Economic Recovery Imperiled by Devastating Floods
What Repeated Bail Denial to Umar Khalid and Others Says About Modi’s India
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
As Ishiba Steps Down, Japan Will Get Yet Another New Prime Minister
Despite the preoccupation about who will emerge as its next leader, the LDP must be under no illusion: Ishiba was not the dominant reason for its election losses.
Prince Hisahito and Japan’s Imperial Future
How Japan Won the Bid to Supply Australia’s Next-Generation Frigate
Court Rulings and Public Opinion on Same-Sex Marriage in Japan
The Debate
Comment and Opinion
Afghanistan: When Disaster Meets Gender Apartheid
Unless the world acts with resolve, every disaster – whether natural or man-made – will continue to claim Afghan women and children first.
No, China’s Isn’t Leading an Anti-West Bloc
China’s Parade of Power
Why Bangladesh’s Soldiers Who Gunned Down Civilians Should Be Tried by Civilian Courts
Crossroads Asia
The New Silk Road
Trump Holds Call With Uzbek President, a Shouted Question About Kazakhstan Steals Headlines
As Uzbekistan’s fervor to share the momentous event of its president’s call with Trump demonstrates, it’s a big deal.
China-Mongolia-Russia Agreement on Power of Siberia 2 Could Reroute Energy Trade
Mongolia Exits SCO Observer Status, Draws Closer to China and Russia
Will the Kyrgyz Parliament Dissolve Itself?
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
Evergrande’s Delisting Exposes China’s Slow Bankruptcy Trap
Beijing has protected homebuyers and stability by stretching out failures. Now it needs a rules-based exit system that finishes homes faster and frees capital for growth.
US Tariffs Turn the Screws on India’s Indigenous Industries
US Policy Shift Complicates South Korean Semiconductor Operations in China
What Makes Digital Banks in Southeast Asia Successful?
Oceania
The South Pacific
Reforming Australia’s Migration to Favor Skilled Workers, Not Family Reunion
Australia’s migration program has failed to deliver what it promises. It brings in relatively few genuinely skilled workers, while favoring family migration.
Australia’s Real Immigration Problem
What to Make of the Australian Defense Minister’s ‘Happenstance Encounter’ at the Pentagon
Porepunkah Shooting Highlights Threat ‘Sovereign Citizens’ Pose to Australia
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.