Latest Stories
Collateral Damage: How Geopolitical Tensions Fuel Discrimination Against Chinese Americans
A recent study explores how Americans’ views of the “China threat” influence ethnic discrimination in the U.S.
Time for a 21st Century Upgrade to US Taiwan Policy
In a volatile security environment, strategic ambiguity must be complemented with a touch of “tactical clarity.”
Rare Earth, Raw Power: How China Plays the Carrot and Stick Game of the Century
Beijing is more openly leveraging its control over rare earths, using them both as a stick to pressure geostrategic rivals and as a carrot to incentivize cooperation with partners.
Rahul Gandhi Calls out Bias of India’s Election Commission
In an article, the Leader of the Opposition detailed the “industrial scale rigging” of the Maharashtra Assembly elections in favor of the ruling BJP.
New Zealand’s Response to Israeli Strikes Against Iran
The current geopolitical situation will invariably be canvassed when Luxon visits China next week and then attends the NATO summit.
The Historical Great Powers of Asia: Central Asia
By the time the greatest steppe empire of them all, the Mongol Empire, arose in the 13th century, Turkic and Mongolic peoples had dominated the region for centuries
Most Read
ISKP Declares War Against Baloch Separatists
In confirming the presence of its bases in Pakistan, ISKP made a significant admission.
Cambodia Says It Will Take Thai Border Dispute to International Court
Late last month, a 48-year-old Cambodian soldier was killed during a military clash in a disputed area of the border.
The EU’s Response to Pahalgam: A Missed Opportunity
Instead of strategic clarity and unanimity, the European Union reverted to its typical stance: cautious, non-aligned, and conspicuously quiet.
Magazine
The Messy Reality of Philippine Democracy
The Philippines may be a democratic inspiration, but it is also a warning.
Democracy Disfigured: India’s Political Devolution
India’s political system has shifted from limited democracy to party democracy and finally to plebiscitary democracy, a trend that reached its epitome with Modi.
American Democracy Versus Chinese Governance: The Ultimate Contest
U.S. democracy is viewed as failing, while Chinese governance is seen as succeeding. And while Trump’s presidency may be a symptom of that trend, it’s not the cause.
Mark Chou on Australia’s Post-Election Political Outlook
The Australian election result “masks a more sobering political reality: that Albanese and Labor were increasingly unpopular not all that long ago.”
Blogs
China Power
A New World Order
Rare Earth, Raw Power: How China Plays the Carrot and Stick Game of the Century
Beijing is more openly leveraging its control over rare earths, using them both as a stick to pressure geostrategic rivals and as a carrot to incentivize cooperation with partners.
Report: Western Supply Chains Tied to Uyghur Forced Labor in China’s Critical Minerals Boom
‘The Eternal Queen of Asian Pop’ Sings One Last Encore From Beyond the Grave
Has Brazil Given China Too Much Economic Control?
Flashpoints
Diplomacy by Other Means
Students for Supply Chains: What the China-US Deal Reveals About Trade Diplomacy Today
Access to education now moves in step with trade, technology, and supply chain leverage.
No War, No Peace: India’s Limited War Strategy of Controlled Escalation
Tracking Conflict in the Asia-Pacific: June 2025 Update
Reframing the French Indo-Pacific: Mayotte, a Contested Sovereignty
Asia Defense
Militaries of the Asia-Pacific
Time for a 21st Century Upgrade to US Taiwan Policy
In a volatile security environment, strategic ambiguity must be complemented with a touch of “tactical clarity.”
Trump May Try To Strike A Deal With AUKUS Review, But He Won’t Sink It
A Chinese Aircraft Carrier Crossed the ‘Second Island Chain’ for the First Time
Malaysia’s Silent Military Buildup on Borneo
ASEAN Beat
Insights Into Half a Billion
Prabowo to Visit Russia Next Week, Will Miss G7 Meeting in Canada
The state visit was planned prior to receiving the G-7 invitation from Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Jakarta says.
Shifting Tides: Southeast Asia’s Changing Perceptions of the Major Powers
Vietnam Approves Radical Consolidation of Provinces and Major Cities
Philippine Prosecutors Defend Impeachment of Vice President, Say Case Must Go Ahead
The Pulse
Perspectives on South Asia
Rahul Gandhi Calls out Bias of India’s Election Commission
In an article, the Leader of the Opposition detailed the “industrial scale rigging” of the Maharashtra Assembly elections in favor of the ruling BJP.
What Do We Know About the Air India Crash?
UNHCR Defends Biometric Enrollment Push for Rohingya Refugees
Pakistan’s FY25 Budget Balances Defense Needs and Economic Revival
The Koreas
Divided Peninsula
Lee Jae-myung’s First Challenge: Economic Diplomacy in a Divided Indo-Pacific
Confronted by U.S. trade pressure and a polarized Indo-Pacific, South Korea is recalibrating its economic diplomacy at a moment of strategic uncertainty.
South Korea’s New President Begins Diplomacy With Flurry of Calls
South Korea’s Education Obsession Is a National Emergency
Lee Jae-myung Takes Over a Country Split by Gender Politics
Tokyo Report
News From Japan
Japan-South Korea Relations Are About to Get a Stress Test
The past three years were a unique period in the relationship between the two nations. Will Lee’s presidency mark a return to the mean?
Calls for Strategic Autonomy Grow in Japan
Radioactive Flower Beds and the Legacy of Fukushima
Japan’s Stem Cell Awakening
The Debate
Comment and Opinion
Trump’s Deployment of Marines to LA Is a Gift to China
The political theater of sending Marines to Los Angeles subtly eats at force readiness, morale, and urgent preparation for a large-scale, complex, distant war.
The Battle to Save the Uyghur Language From Extinction: China’s Plan to Erase a Civilization
A Blank ‘Democracy Wall’ Sums up What Hong Kong Has Lost
China Abandoned Its Old Norms, But Failed to Craft a Replacement
Crossroads Asia
The New Silk Road
The Historical Great Powers of Asia: Central Asia
By the time the greatest steppe empire of them all, the Mongol Empire, arose in the 13th century, Turkic and Mongolic peoples had dominated the region for centuries
Political Science on the Sidelines in Uzbekistan
Ulaanbaatar Dialogue Shows Mongolia’s Foreign Policy Continuity Amid Political Unrest
Trump’s Second Term: Opportunity or Obstacle for Central Asia?
Trans-Pacific View
U.S. Policy on Asia
Collateral Damage: How Geopolitical Tensions Fuel Discrimination Against Chinese Americans
A recent study explores how Americans’ views of the “China threat” influence ethnic discrimination in the U.S.
Malaysian Trade Minister to Visit Washington For Second Round of Tariff Talks
Taiwan and the US: A New Era of LNG Diplomacy
Trump’s Chaotic Immigration Policies Target Myanmar and Afghanistan
Pacific Money
Economy And Business
Why the National Energy Transition Roadmap Makes Sense for Malaysia
As in other areas of the country's energy sector, the state is playing a leading role in developing renewable energy projects.
Japanese Economic Nationalism and the Seven & i Holdings Takeover
Indonesia, EU to Conclude Free Trade Negotiations By End of June
A Chance for India to Return to RCEP?
Oceania
The South Pacific
New Zealand’s Response to Israeli Strikes Against Iran
The current geopolitical situation will invariably be canvassed when Luxon visits China next week and then attends the NATO summit.
Woodside’s North West Shelf Gas Plant Approval Is Not a One-off
Australia Rejects US Push for Increased Defense Spending
New Zealand Reverses Offshore Oil and Gas Exploration Ban Amid Energy Security Concerns
Videos
Asia on Video
What’s Driving Taiwan’s Mass Protests?
Chiang Min-yen, a non-resident fellow at the Taiwan Economic Democracy Union, joins The Diplomat to discuss the concerns over the bill, the China factor, and what comes next.
What’s Behind Vietnam’s Political Upheaval?
The Danger of China’s Digital Silk Road
What Will China’s Shift From Oil Mean for Saudi Arabia and Russia?
Podcasts
Asia Geopolitics
Photo Essays
Asia in Pictures
The Untold Stories of Peshawar’s Gemstone Market at Namak Mandi
Pakistan’s largest and most important gemstone and mineral market is deeply intertwined with the region’s borders, conflict, and undocumented economies.