Most Read
Why Did the Taliban’s Sirajuddin Haqqani Visit the UAE?
Haqqani meeting and shaking hands with officials from the affluent Gulf nation has ignited fervent speculation and debate.
China Is Drawing Lessons From D-Day for an Invasion of Taiwan
China has systematically studied the Allied landing at Normandy to inform its planning for an assault on Taiwan.
China-India Name War Intensifies in the Himalayas
New Delhi’s plan to rename sites in Tibet – a response to China’s own renaming blitz in Arunachal Pradesh – is “tantamount to India reopening the Tibetan question.”
Magazine
Banning the Bomb in Asia and the Pacific
Countries in Asia and the Pacific bore the brunt of nuclear trauma. Now they are leading the charge to prohibit nuclear weapons.
How Politics Holds Back Pakistan’s Economy
It is politics, not economics, that is preventing a wholesale turnaround of Pakistan’s broader trajectory.
Papua New Guinea: All Geopolitics Is Local
The whole Pacific is grappling with Beijing’s campaign to become the dominant regional power and the pushback from a coalition of rival nations. PNG is experiencing this competition in unique ways.
The New Reality of Energy Geopolitics in Eurasia
With the so-called gas union, Russia, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are engaging in opportunistic cooperation and flirting with dangerous new dependencies.
Blogs
China Power
A New World Order
Will China Replace the US As Saudi Arabia’s Main Ally?
Riyadh is trying to strike a balance between short-term economic benefits from China and its long-standing strategic alliance with the United States.
Bolivia Turns to China Amid Historic Economic Crisis
China and the Race for Nuclear Fusion
Taiwan’s LGBTQ Progress Under Lai Ching-te: From Rhetoric to Action
Flashpoints
Diplomacy by Other Means
Rethinking the South China Sea in Indian Maritime Security Strategy
New Delhi's strategic and economic interests in the region will only grow, but there are high barriers to increasing the Indian Navy's role in the South China Sea.
There Is No ‘Secret Agreement’ Between China and the Philippines on Second Thomas Shoal
China and Equatorial Guinea: Why Their New ‘Comprehensive Strategic Partnership’ Matters
What to Make of Biden’s Latest Promise to Defend Taiwan
Asia Defense
Militaries of the Asia-Pacific
South Korean Troops Fired Warning Shots After North Korean Soldiers Briefly Crossed Land Border
The rivals are embroiled in Cold War-style campaigns involving balloon launches and propaganda broadcasts along the DMZ.
South Korea’s Role in Countering Chinese and Russian Arms Sales in Latin America
China Is Drawing Lessons From D-Day for an Invasion of Taiwan
Japan Confirms Chinese Military Drone Flew off the Japanese Coast
ASEAN Beat
Insights Into Half a Billion
Will Thailand’s Continued Political Instability Hamstring Its Economic Recovery?
Three high-profile political court cases threaten to push the country into a new cycle of domestic political conflict.
Vietnam on Record Pace for Spratly Island Construction in 2024, Report Says
Was the CIA Director Recently in Phnom Penh?
Art Imitates Life in Indonesian Horror Film – But is Anyone Entertained?
The Pulse
Perspectives on South Asia
Putting SAGAR in Operation Under Modi 3.0
New Delhi pressed the refresh button by inviting the leaders from the island countries of the Indian Ocean region to Modi’s swearing-in.
Was There a Scam in India’s Exit Poll Predictions?
The Structural Challenge for Modi 3.0’s Global Messaging
How Different Will Modi 3.0 Be From Previous Terms?
The Koreas
Divided Peninsula
North Korea’s Kim Hails Russia Ties as Putin Reportedly Plans a Visit
Kim Jong Un sent Vladimir Putin a message congratulating Russia on its National Day amid reports that the Russian president could visit Pyongyang as soon as next week.
South Korea-Africa Summit: A Disappointing Outcome?
Controversy Rages over President Yoon’s Announcement of New Deep-Sea Drilling
What South Korea’s Horizon Europe Entry Say About Its Science and Tech Ambitions
Tokyo Report
News From Japan
How Will India-Japan Relations Evolve Under Modi 3.0?
Three interrelated pillars – personal diplomacy, shared values, and strategic convergence – are at the center of the deepening relationship.
Japan’s Birth Rate Falls to a Record Low as the Number of Marriages Also Drops
Japan, China, South Korea Trilateral Summit Was a Missed Opportunity
What Is Holding Back France-Japan Cooperation?
The Debate
Comment and Opinion
1,000 Days of Girls Banned From Education in Afghanistan
An underground network of informal schools, run by brave volunteers, is the only access to continued education for girls past primary school.
Why Did Modi’s Usage of Divinity as a Political Instrument Not Succeed?
Modi’s Re-election: A Chance to Revitalize Afghanistan-India Relations
As International Justice Fails, Solidarity Must Prevail
Crossroads Asia
The New Silk Road
Mongolia’s Ulaanbaatar Dialogue Focuses on Regional Cooperation in Energy Transition and Critical Minerals
Mongolia hopes to push forward cooperation, even among rival nations, on regional and global priority issues.
South Korean President Yoon Sweeping Through Central Asia
Could Iran be a Gateway for Central Asia?
India in the Caucasus and Central Asia: The Giant Next Door
Trans-Pacific View
U.S. Policy on Asia
Why India and Pakistan’s T20 Cricket Showdown in New York Is Such a Big Deal
Cricket advocates could not have written a better script: a raucous crowd cheering on a rare matchup between cricket’s biggest rivals, taking place in the biggest media market in the U.S.
Chief Financial Officer of Anti-CCP, Pro-Trump The Epoch Times Accused of Money Laundering
Trump Joins TikTok and Calls It ‘An Honor.’ As President He Once Tried to Ban the App
The Bipartisan Clash Over US Electric Vehicle Policy
Pacific Money
Economy And Business
Myanmar Growth to Remain Stagnant As Conflict, Displacement Spreads
The World Bank predicts the country's economy to grow by 1 percent this fiscal year, but even that seems optimistic in the current circumstances.
Why Southeast Asian Telcos Are Taking Losses on Their Overseas Holdings
Does the Sanctioned Daughter of the Kremlin’s Press Chief Have a Kazakh Bank Account?
Shenzhen, China: The World Pioneer in Electric Vehicles
Oceania
The South Pacific
Despite the Diplomatic Thaw, Australians Still Deeply Mistrust China
While political relations have improved, Australian public opinion on China remains generally negative.
Australian Online Watchdog Drops Federal Court Case Against X Over Stabbing Video
France’s Faux Pacific Power: The Colonial Reality in New Caledonia
Fears Rise of a Second Landslide and Disease Outbreak at Site of Papua New Guinea Disaster
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
New Delhi’s Quiet Student Solidarity With Palestine
Full-fledged protests in India’s capital were quickly muffled, so students have resorted to quieter means of dissent.