Latest Stories
Internet Shutdown in Afghanistan Threatens Women’s Education and Media Freedom
The Taliban restrict local media, and now also the internet, while leveraging the same platforms to spread their own messages.
China Is Still Struggling to Manage Local Debt Stress
A reported 1 trillion yuan relief package underscores how far Beijing is from solving the LGFV problem.
Internal Party Politics Roil Taiwan’s Main Political Parties
Pressure is growing on the DPP's longtime caucus leader to resign. For the KMT, the selection of a party chair looms large.
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.
Cambodia’s Decline Under 2 Years of Hun Manet
Hun Manet’s two years in power have witnessed a decline in any semblance of a government functioning in the interests of its people.
The AI Race: How China Inherited (and the West Lost) the Apollo Blueprint
China’s strategic ambition is reminiscent of the pioneering spirit of the Apollo missions that won the Space Race for the U.S.
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
China Is Still Struggling to Manage Local Debt Stress
A reported 1 trillion yuan relief package underscores how far Beijing is from solving the LGFV problem.
Internal Party Politics Roil Taiwan’s Main Political Parties
The AI Race: How China Inherited (and the West Lost) the Apollo Blueprint
Peru’s ‘Active Neutrality’ Between China and the West
Flashpoints
Diplomacy by Other Means
Why the Renaming of the US Department of War Matters
It's another worrying sign that the Trump administration is shifting its military strategy away from deterrence – and increasing the likelihood of nuclear war.
Kim Yo Jong Warns Against Japan-South Korea-US Joint Military Drills
Bangladesh and Nepal: Why Some Protests Topple Leaders (and Others Don’t)
24 Years Later, Is the World on the Brink of Another 9/11?
Asia Defense
Militaries of the Asia-Pacific
What Singapore’s Poseidon Purchase Tells Us About Its Foreign Policy Worldview
It reflects the city-state’s confidence in advancing its own national interests together with those of neighbors, major powers, and the wider maritime commons.
EU, India Advance Defense Cooperation With Naval Exercises
Singapore’s First F-35 Fighter Set for Delivery by End of 2026, Defense Minister Says
China’s Newest Aircraft Carrier Is on the Move
ASEAN Beat
Insights Into Half a Billion
From Scam Centers to Scam State: The Road to Myanmar’s Scam Election
The military’s upcoming election is essentially a scam, with local warlords and the militia-business complex positioned to profit.
#SEAblings: The New Southeast Asian Transnational Solidarity Campaign
China Warns Philippines Against ‘Disruptive’ Actions After Patrols With US, Japan
Who’s Afraid of ‘Sustainable Steam Power’?
The Pulse
Perspectives on South Asia
BNP Could Win Bangladesh’s National Elections for the Same Reason Shibir Is Sweeping Campuses
There is a growing trend of strategic voting within Gen Z, a demographic committed to making their first votes count.
Prime Minister Modi Finally Visits Troubled Manipur
Gen Z’s Gambit: Can Nepal’s New Prime Minister Deliver?
The India-Pakistan Cricket Match Is an Alarming Sign for the Future of Bilateral Relations
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 ‘Demon Slayer’ Phenomenon and Japan’s Evolving Anime Industry
The franchise's success reflects the growing size – and evolving nature – of Japan’s anime industry in recent years.
The Top Priority for Japan’s Next Prime Minister: The Economy
Japan-South Korea Relations: Summit Signals Change in Direction
As Ishiba Steps Down, Japan Will Get Yet Another New Prime Minister
The Debate
Comment and Opinion
Cambodia’s Decline Under 2 Years of Hun Manet
Hun Manet’s two years in power have witnessed a decline in any semblance of a government functioning in the interests of its people.
Sri Lanka is on the Front Line of the Battle for Accountability
We Deserve Better: Korea’s Investment in Georgia Must Be Secured, Not Shackled
Russia’s Nuclear ‘Diplomacy’: From Seizing a Nuclear Facility in Ukraine to Backing Myanmar’s Military Junta
Crossroads Asia
The New Silk Road
Closed-door Embezzlement Trial of Former Uzbek Agriculture Minister Ends
Aziz Voitov was found guilty but won't serve prison time, reportedly on account of having paid "full compensation."
Did Kazakhstan Import a Commercialized Version of China’s Great Firewall?
Looking Back at a Hot Railroad Summer for Central Asia and Afghanistan
Kloop Trial Underway in Kyrgyzstan: Witnesses, Experts Can’t Find ‘Calls for Mass Unrest’
Trans-Pacific View
U.S. Policy on Asia
If the US Retreats to the Western Hemisphere, What Happens to Asia?
There are strong indications Washington is moving toward hemispheric retrenchment. The consequences for the Asia-Pacific could be dramatic.
How Indiana Became a Stronghold for Tibetan Culture – and the Dalai Lama’s Influence
Brazil and Mexico Chart Different Courses Amid China-US Tensions
Trump’s Policies Strain South Korea-US Alliance
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
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.