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Indonesia’s Prison System Is Broken

Indonesia’s Prison System Is Broken

By Aisyah Llewellyn

A deadly prison riot underscores the risk of radicalization behind bars.

The Plight of Pakistan's Journalists

The Plight of Pakistan's Journalists

By Muhammad Akbar Notezai

The free press is being suffocated in Pakistan.

Seizing Economic Opportunities in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan

Seizing Economic Opportunities in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan

By Eric Wheeler and Alexey Yugai

If Astana and Tashkent can tackle long-term obstacles to growth, there’s great potential in the region.

Thailand's Junta Cracks Down on Thaksin's Pheu Thai Party

Thailand's Junta Cracks Down on Thaksin's Pheu Thai Party

By Neil Thompson

The generals want to be sure the opposition is eliminated before agreeing to hold elections.

What’s Missing From Cambodia’s Democracy?

What’s Missing From Cambodia’s Democracy?

By Andrew Nachemson

The problems are deeper than the lack of a viable opposition party.

China's Teenage Mothers

China's Teenage Mothers

Youth, interrupted

Indonesia’s Prison System Is Broken

The Plight of Pakistan's Journalists

Seizing Economic Opportunities in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan

Thailand's Junta Cracks Down on Thaksin's Pheu Thai Party

What’s Missing From Cambodia’s Democracy?

China's Teenage Mothers

Popular Stories

Working with Vietnam, Russia's Rosneft Draws China’s Ire

Working with Vietnam, Russia's Rosneft Draws China’s Ire

Rosneft is a crucial arm of Russian foreign policy, yet functions at times without direct Kremlin involvement.

Will India’s Air Force Get 40 More Su-30MKI Fighter Jets?

Will India’s Air Force Get 40 More Su-30MKI Fighter Jets?

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited offered to build 40 additional Su-30MKI fighters.

South Korea's Second <em>Dokdo</em>-class Assault Carrier and the Future of the ROKN

South Korea's Second Dokdo-class Assault Carrier and the Future of the ROKN

South Korea is wealthy enough and has a sufficiently robust shipbuilding industry to try its hand at larger carriers.

A New World Order

What Does China Really Think of North Korea?

What Does China Really Think of North Korea?

Forget talk of “lips and teeth” -- Chinese contempt for North Korea is palpable.

Is China Really Targeting US Diplomats With a 'Sonic Attack'?China Puts the Squeeze on Taiwan Why China Won’t Abandon Its Controversial Trade Policies Time to Counter China and Rebuild the US Navy? Scoping Critical Information Infrastructure in China Can Chinese Cities Leave the Car Behind?

Diplomacy by Other Means

What’s Behind China’s Mining at the Disputed Sino-Indian Border?

What’s Behind China’s Mining at the Disputed Sino-Indian Border?

Is China replicating its South China Sea strategy in regions disputed with India?

What the Trump Administration's Decision to Disinvite the Chinese Navy From RIMPAC 2018 Means The Trump-Kim Summit, North Korea's 'New Strategic Line,' and Pompeo's 'Bold Approach' 2.0 South China Sea: What China's First Strategic Bomber Landing on Woody Island Means Working with Vietnam, Russia's Rosneft Draws China’s Ire Trump's 'Libya Model' Remark on North Korea Was a Threat and May Sink the June 12 Summit South Korea's Second Dokdo-class Assault Carrier and the Future of the ROKN

Militaries of the Asia-Pacific

Taiwan Reaches Preliminary Deal to Upgrade 2 Diesel-Electric Subs

Taiwan Reaches Preliminary Deal to Upgrade 2 Diesel-Electric Subs

The Taiwanese government and Dutch firm RH Marine reached a deal to upgrade two diesel-electric submarines.

India Test Fires Second BrahMos Supersonic Missile in 24 Hours India’s Tejas Light Combat Aircraft Faces Further Delays Russia's Borei-Class Test Fires 4 Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missiles US Reinforces East Asia Ballistic Missile Defense Russia’s Strategic Rocket Force to Receive RS-28 Sarmat ICBM By 2020 Russia Drops Plans For Upgraded Borei-Class Ballistic Missile Sub

Insights Into Half a Billion

The Untold Story of Indonesian Deforestation

The Untold Story of Indonesian Deforestation

What’s happened to Indonesia’s forests?

Despite International Pressure, 2 Journalists Remain Behind Bars in Myanmar Indonesia’s New Attack Helicopters Put Spotlight on US-Indonesia Defense Ties Timor-Leste's Corruption Challenge Counting Down to Indonesia’s Presidential Election India-Vietnam Defense Ties in the Spotlight With Naval Exercise What’s in Thailand’s First Hosting of the US Pacific Partnership Exercise?

Perspectives on South Asia

Capricious Afghanistan-Pakistan Trade: Who Wins?

Capricious Afghanistan-Pakistan Trade: Who Wins?

Ultimately, Pakistan loses from its stifling policies as Afghanistan seeks out other partners.

Why Pakistan's Ruling Elite Are Losing the Narrative War Against Radical Islamists Rights Groups Criticize Bangladesh Government for 'Silence' on Enforced Disappearances A Flight of Fancy: Is India Finally Taking Air Connectivity in the Northeast Seriously?Bangladesh First: Behind India’s Changing Stance on the Rohingya What's Behind India's Recent Outreach to North Korea?White: The Deafening Silences of India's Rape Epidemic

Divided Peninsula

The Moon-Trump Summit: This Is Chaos in Action

The Moon-Trump Summit: This Is Chaos in Action

Is Trump second guessing the rush to strike a deal? Showing flexibility? Both? Neither?

The Growing Russia-South Korea Partnership What Do North Korean Defectors Think of the Recent Peninsula Diplomacy?Will Railways Bridge the Gap Between the 2 Koreas?Hankering for North Korean Food? You Might Want to Reconsider.Fissures in the North Korea Peace Process?Ahead of Trump-Kim Summit, North Korea Releases 3 American Prisoners

News from Japan

Japan’s Forced Sterilization Victims Hit Back With a Wave of Lawsuits

Japan’s Forced Sterilization Victims Hit Back With a Wave of Lawsuits

The dark postwar population policy, modeled after Nazi Germany’s eugenics, resulted in systemic human rights abuses.

Japan's Pacific Island Push Another Week, Another Cronyism Scandal for Japan's Abe Japan's Foreign Policy Balancing Act Trump-Kim Meeting Is Set. What Now For Japan?Abe’s US Visit and the North Korea Problem China-Japan-South Korea Trilateral (Finally) Meets Again

Comment and Opinion

Singapore Prepares for the AI Revolution

Singapore Prepares for the AI Revolution

While AI will destroy some types of jobs, it will also create new ones -- Singapore aims to be ready.

F. Scott Fitzgerald and the US-North Korea Summit Cancellation Is a New Era Dawning for Malaysian Civil Society?Trump Cancelled the North Korean Summit. That's Not a Surprise.Bangladesh: ‘Disappeared’ Reappear All the Time Asia’s Environment Is at a Tipping Point Indonesia’s Human Rights After 20 Years of Reformasi

Crossroads Asia

The New Silk Road

Can Trump Bring Balance to US-Uzbekistan Relations?

Can Trump Bring Balance to US-Uzbekistan Relations?

As Tashkent and Washington revive their strategic partnership, eyes are on reforms.

Uzbekistan: A Reforming Dictatorship Will Test US Foreign Policy How Will Erdogan’s Recent Visit to Uzbekistan Enhance Turkish-Uzbek Cooperation?Uzbek Officials Discuss Human Rights in Washington Kazakhstan's Small Lenders Suffer Financial Crunch Central Asia Opens the Door to Afghanistan In Discussing North Korea, Recall Mongolia’s Peaceful Revolution and End to One-Party Rule

Trans-Pacific View

U.S. Policy on Asia

The Quad, Vietnam, and the Role of Democratic Values

The Quad, Vietnam, and the Role of Democratic Values

What is the ‘Democratic Security Diamond’ without concern for its normative basis?

What China’s RIMPAC Exclusion Means for US Allies Trump Administration Nominates Outgoing Pacific Command Head as South Korea Ambassador Impact of Qualcomm and ZTE Cases on US-China Trade War China’s New World Order: Partners and Profit June 12 in Singapore: Time and Place of Trump-Kim Summit Set The Greater Danger of US-China Trade Tensions

Economy and Business

TPP’s Regulatory Capitalism and China’s Belt and Road Challenges

TPP’s Regulatory Capitalism and China’s Belt and Road Challenges

The revived TPP 11 operates as a significant alternative to China's approach, embodied in the Belt and Road Initiative.

Malaysia’s Election: A Surprise Win For Reform Korea’s Peace Dividend The CPTPP and Its Implications for Japan Taiwan Caught in the Middle of the U.S.-China Trade Tiff IMF: No Room for Complacency on Growth Asia Joins Global Mega-Cities in League of Their Own

The Other Asia-Pacific

Online Learning in North Korea

Online Learning in North Korea

Is North Korea going through an online learning revolution?

The New Silk Road Is Old: Why You Should Ignore Belt and Road Initiative Maps Defying National Divide, Indians and Pakistanis Unite in Matrimony Daryaganj: Old World Charm at Delhi’s Used Book Bazaar The Game of the Great Games: How the Olympic Fad Hurts the Postcolonial World Pakistan’s Cinematic Revolution in the Making Adopt a Heritage: Should Private Companies Be Caretakers of Indian National Monuments?

The South Pacific

Australia's Asia Gas Conundrum

Australia's Asia Gas Conundrum

New gas projects across its north position Australia as Southeast Asia’s future energy supplier – but not without controversy.

Australia and the Rules of Attraction India Keeps Australia Out of the Malabar Exercise -- Again Australia Courts France in the Indo-Pacific Viewing the Inter-Korea Summit from Australia For Balance, Australia Aims to Draw the UK Back into the Pacific China’s Moves in Vanuatu: What Should Australia Do?

Asia Geopolitics

Trump Cancels the June 12 Summit With Kim Jong Un: What Now?

Trump Cancels the June 12 Summit With Kim Jong Un: What Now?

With the June 12 summit in Singapore cancelled, what lies ahead for the Korean Peninsula?

The Geopolitical Implications of Malaysia's Election Earthquake Remembering One of Southeast Asia’s Legendary Foreign Correspondents What Is the Nature of Power in the Asia-Pacific and Who Wields It?Conventional Deterrence in the Asia-Pacific Region Making Sense of the Third Inter-Korean Summit: What It Means and What Comes Next

The ‘Pad Man’ of India’s Parliament

The ‘Pad Man’ of India’s Parliament

Lawmaker Ninong Ering’s progressive step toward a period-friendly India.

What Should the World Do With Refugees?Why This Delhi Man Feeds Thousands Daily Why Did This Russian Woman Contest an Indian Beauty Pageant?A Bollywood Take on Storytelling in Journalism Making Local Education Work in the Philippines

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The Diplomat Brief

From The Magazine

ASEAN: Agnostic on the Free and Open Indo-Pacific

ASEAN: Agnostic on the Free and Open Indo-Pacific

Concerns that the FOIP could erode ASEAN’s centrality can only be assuaged by a clear definition of the concept.

South Korea’s Free and Open Indo-Pacific Dilemma

South Korea’s Free and Open Indo-Pacific Dilemma

FOIP presents a dilemma to the Moon government, which is treading on a tightrope between the U.S. and China.

What China Thinks of the Indo-Pacific Strategy

What China Thinks of the Indo-Pacific Strategy

Chinese scholars see the free and open Indo-Pacific strategy as containment, but aren’t convinced it’ll stick.

The Quad Reborn

The Quad Reborn

A decade after it was first proposed, the U.S., Japan, India, and Australia are getting the squad back together.

Latest Features

#MeToo, Vietnam

#MeToo, Vietnam

Vietnam’s fledgling #MeToo movement reveals the limits of the country’s progress on gender equality.

The Dirty Secret of Taiwan’s Fishing Industry

The Dirty Secret of Taiwan’s Fishing Industry

Taiwan’s systemic inertia has created the perfect environment for the continued exploitation of migrant fishermen.

Is Pakistani Agriculture Ready for CPEC?

Is Pakistani Agriculture Ready for CPEC?

A lack of government planning could leave Pakistan's farmers on the losing end of a far-reaching deal with China.

Timor-Leste’s Forgotten Female Rebels

Timor-Leste’s Forgotten Female Rebels

Will women's role in Timor-Leste's fight for independence ever be truly recognized?

Uzbekistan: Reforms on the Right Path

Uzbekistan: Reforms on the Right Path

An exclusive interview with Uzbek Minister of Justice Ruslanbek Davletov

Assam’s Elephant Emergency

Assam’s Elephant Emergency

In northeastern India, human-elephant conflict is getting worse as forest resources dwindle.

Is Indonesia Newly Under Attack?

Is Indonesia Newly Under Attack?

“Welcome to the Holy Month of Jihad.”

On the Streets of the Dalai Lama’s Town

On the Streets of the Dalai Lama’s Town

Scenes from Mcleodganj, also known as “Little Lhasa,” the Dalai Lama's home-in-exile.

Malaysia's New Political Tsunami

Malaysia's New Political Tsunami

What led to the historic election result -- and where does Malaysia go from here?

Amb. Zahid Nasrullah Khan on Afghanistan-Pakistan Relations

Pakistan's ambassador in Afghanistan talks about refugees, terrorism, and the border dispute.

More Interviews

The Diplomat's Quiz

Play <em>The Diplomat’s Quiz</em>: May 20, 2018 Edition

Play The Diplomat’s Quiz: May 20, 2018 Edition

Test your knowledge of the Asia-Pacific region with The Diplomat's weekly news quiz!

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