The Diplomat

Tim Cook’s Dark Legacy in China

Cook’s leadership perfected Apple’s production – but Chinese workers paid the price. Read full article on The Diplomat →

5 days ago

Uzbekistan’s Presidential Daughter Just Got a Law of Her Own 

The new presidential administration law grants its head – Saida Mirziyoyeva – sweeping new powers, and immunity. Read full article on The Diplomat →

5 days ago

India’s BrahMos at Sea: Implications for South Asian Stability

The planned Indian deployment of the BrahMos missile on all of its naval warships has destabilizing implications for the region. Read full article on The Diplo...

5 days ago

‘Latin Poison’: Kazakhstan’s Latinization in Russian Media Discourse

In criticizing Kazakhstan's Latinization effort, Russian media is not defending the Russian language or the Cyrillic alphabet, but the symbolic, ideological, an...

5 days ago

More and More Global Leaders Went to Chinese Colleges. Does That Matter?

Does receiving a Chinese education sway Asia’s leaders and, by extension, foreign policy? Read full article on The Diplomat →

5 days ago

Takaichi Is No Abe: Japan’s New Conservative Politics

After roughly 10 months in power, the differences between Takaichi and Abe are becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.  Read full article on The Diplomat →

5 days ago

Can Discussions in Cambridge Help Afghans Build a Post-Taliban Future?

Thousands of miles from Afghanistan, prescriptions are being written by Afghans for the country’s future – a future without Taliban rule.  Read full article on...

5 days ago

The Kuril Flashpoint: Putin’s Visit and the Future of Japan-Russia Ties

The Kuril Islands dispute is not just a territorial dispute between Russia and Japan but reflects the larger complexity of geopolitical dynamics in the Indo-Pac...

5 days ago

Principled Caution: Navigating AI in Asian Newsrooms

In many Asian countries, letting an AI-generated error slip through could mean not only reputational harm but legal and political persecution Read full article...

5 days ago

What Does Japan Think of the Sudden Cut to South Korea-US Joint Drills?

Although Japanese leaders have been publicly quiet, this incident highlights several points of concern that have existed since the second Trump administration. ...

5 days ago

What a Chongqing Fandom Clash Reveals About China’s Gender Divide

Male “anti-fan” livestreamers invaded a boy-band training event -- and targeted the largely female fan base. Read full article on The Diplomat →

5 days ago

Militant Buildup in Areas Critical to China’s Economic Interests in Pakistan

The TTP has stepped up its presence along the Karakoram Highway, even as Pakistan and China discuss $1.8 billion in financing to realign its Thakot-Raikot secti...

5 days ago

One Nation’s Dual Assault on Australia’s Structural Realities

With a below replacement-level birth rate and a booming elder population, One Nation’s anti-immigration stance, combined with its critique of superannuation, is...

5 days ago

UNHCR Says It Is Not Involved in Malaysia’s Planned Repatriation of Refugees to Myanmar

Rights groups say that the 1,476 Myanmar nationals are at high risk of torture, mistreatment, and forced conscription on their return. Read full article on The...

5 days ago

Job Opportunity: Multilingual Translation Project Coordinator in Tokyo

Diplomat affiliate MHT Corporation is seeking a Japan-based multilingual professional to coordinate translation projects. Read full article on The Diplomat →

5 days ago

Japan’s Electricity Shock Is a Contract Problem

It’s not a matter of counting suppliers. Read full article on The Diplomat →

5 days ago

China’s Global Strategy Under Xi Jinping

Insights from Steve Tsang. Read full article on The Diplomat →

5 days ago

The Lasting Economic Damage From the China-Nepal Flood 

Beyond the immediate devastation, the abrupt closure of the China-Nepal trade corridor – again – will reshape the local economy for years to come.  Read full...

5 days ago

The US Arms Bottleneck Is Impacting Its East Asian Allies

Taiwan's Patriot missiles, and Japan's Tomahawks are competing in the same queue as Ukraine and the Iran replenishment. But there are solutions. Read full arti...

5 days ago

Hans van de Ven on World War II and the Making of Modern Asia

“The Asian theater was never just about defeating Japan – it was also about dismantling European imperialism and creating new national futures.” Read full arti...

5 days ago

Latin America’s China Dilemma: Lessons From Peru and Colombia’s Presidential Elections 

Pro-American candidates are winning elections, but deep economic ties with China will continue to constrain any significant strategic realignment. Read full ar...

5 days ago

US Drugmakers Are Dependent on Chinese Supply Chains

Analysts warn a disruption in Chinese sources of common antibiotics or blood thinners could leave American patients with no reliable alternative. Read full art...

5 days ago

Mongolia’s President at the SCO Summit

For Mongolia, the highlights were the bilateral meetings held on the sidelines with Kyrgyzstan, China, and Russia. Read full article on The Diplomat →

5 days ago

From Partnership to Penalty: US Tariffs Shadow India Trade Deal

The promise of deeper economic cooperation is undermined by punitive measures that could torpedo the India-U.S. pact even before it is signed. Read full articl...

5 days ago

Prioritizing Social Stability Over Democratic Reforms: Uzbekistan Announces New Development Programs 

Uzbekistan’s new national development programs prioritize socio-economic developments over democratic reforms. Read full article on The Diplomat →

5 days ago

Land Seizures in the Name of Development in Vietnam

More and more Vietnamese are being forcibly displaced to make way for development. Many are reluctant to speak out, because “between a victim and a criminal lie...

5 days ago

Balancing China and Russia: India’s Tightrope Walk at BRICS

New Delhi aims to keep BRICS relevant to the Global South while preventing its transformation into a Chinese bandwagon or an explicitly anti-Western coalition. ...

5 days ago

The Limbang Question Lingers On

The territory's curious status is the result of an unresolved border dispute between Malaysia and Brunei that dates back to the British colonial era. Read full...

5 days ago

Why Pakistan Is Shrugging Off Trump’s Latest Iran Sanctions

A Pakistani statement signals to Tehran that Islamabad will not undermine a relationship or existing trade ties that have long faced pressure from U.S. sanction...

5 days ago

As the World Nomad Games Come Home, Japarov Expands Kyrgyzstan’s National Story

The opening of the games coincided with Kyrgyzstan's 35th independence anniversary and a major Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit. Read full article on T...

5 days ago

To Secure the Natuna Sea, Indonesia Needs More Than New Ships

Maritime security is one of Indonesia’s most demanding defense domains. And at its current stage, Indonesia needs significant help.  Read full article on The D...

5 days ago

Japan, South Korea, and the New Logic of Nuclear Energy Security in Northeast Asia

The two neighbors are reshaping the nuclear politics of Northeast Asia – and doing so increasingly in concert with Washington. Read full article on The Diploma...

5 days ago

Ayesha Siddiqa on the Pakistan Army’s Police State

Siddiqa argues that Pakistan is not a hybrid regime but a case of constitutional militarism, sanctioned by a parliament that has legislated away its own relevan...

5 days ago

Jeremy Douglas on Southeast Asia’s Drug Boom

"This is a region that is arguably now the largest epicenter of synthetic drug production in the world," says the UNDOC deputy director. Read full article on T...

5 days ago

China Wants to Push Taiwan out of the Pacific

China’s pressure campaign against Taiwan doesn’t end when a country switches recognition to Beijing. Read full article on The Diplomat →

5 days ago

Tajikistan Taxes Tourism Trips Abroad to Fund Development at Home

The new rules would hit Tajikistan’s tourism companies while benefiting an affiliated state body. Read full article on The Diplomat →

5 days ago

Was Abe Shinzo an Idealist?

A new biography of Japan's longest-serving prime minister reevaluates his realist legacy. Read full article on The Diplomat →

5 days ago

Taiwan Finally Passed Its 2026 Budget. What Got Cut?

The budget was passed almost 9 months late, amid growing concern that defense spending was being held up – especially funding for drones.  Read full article on...

5 days ago

Ethanol Issue Has Entered Indian Kitchens, Impacting Household Budgets

What began as an energy policy to reduce crude imports has travelled through the agricultural supply chain and ended up on the dinner table. Read full article...

5 days ago

Despite Delays, China Could Gain Ground in the Space Race

While the U.S. still holds considerable advantages gained through its earlier lunar explorations, China’s planned mission could provide it with a crucial edge....

5 days ago

India, China Take Small Step Forward Toward Border Settlement

At the recent special representatives talks in Beijing, the two sides agreed to work on identifying less contentious sections of their disputed border. Read fu...

5 days ago

Vietnam’s Expanding Strategic Partnerships: Why Canada Could Be Next

Recent developments suggest that the two middle-powers are on the cusp of an important diplomatic upgrade. Read full article on The Diplomat →

5 days ago

Indonesia, United States Kick Off Annual Multinational Military Exercises

Super Garuda Shield 2026 will involve more than 4,700 troops from 13 nations, and observers from a further eight others. Read full article on The Diplomat →

5 days ago

Myanmar’s Min Aung Hlaing to Visit Vietnam Soon, State Media Says

All four mainland Southeast Asian states have now extended an official invitation to the general-turned-president since his inauguration in April. Read full ar...

5 days ago

The ‘Unique’ Communications That Saved Lives Before Nepal’s Devastating Flood

Survivors and experts say that instant word-of-mouth warnings may have saved hundreds of lives on August 26. Read full article on The Diplomat →

5 days ago

How Great Power Rivalry Is Fracturing the Pacific Islands Forum

Absences from this year's Leaders' Meeting are raising questions about the group's solidarity amid growing China-U.S. competition. Read full article on The Dip...

5 days ago

A Deadly Flood Underscores the CCP-Imposed Information Vacuum in Tibet

The disaster exposed a stark contrast: open reporting is emerging from Nepal, while information from Tibet remains almost entirely dependent on China’s tightly...

5 days ago

Micronesian Islands Meet Against Backdrop of Great Power Competition

Micronesian governments are elevating unilateral hedging efforts in forums like the MIF, in pursuit of a unified risk-management strategy and regional identity....

5 days ago

Kazakhstan’s New Parliament Appoints Tokayev’s Pick, Aibek Dadebay, as Chair

Kazakhstan’s new unicameral parliament voted in favor of appointing the leader of the Adilet party, a close confidant of President Tokayev, as its first chairma...

5 days ago

Hitting a High Point: The Australia-Indonesia 2+2

The significance of the 2+2 is the growing web of cooperation between Canberra and Jakarta.  Read full article on The Diplomat →

5 days ago

What Zheng He’s Changing Role Reveals About China’s Maritime Strategy

The historical figure has been invoked to advance different symbolic ends as Beijing’s goals and capabilities change. Read full article on The Diplomat →

5 days ago

Sri Lanka’s Luxury Property Boom Is Outrunning Its Regulations 

As Colombo's luxury towers rise, the laws and institutions meant to oversee them lag far behind. Financial history shows that rarely ends well. Read full artic...

5 days ago

Breaking Through Infoglut: Australia’s Anger-information Overload Cycle

COVID, global warming, conspiracy theorists, natural disasters, financial collapses – and a sham social media ban. It’s no wonder young Australians are glum. R...

5 days ago

India, UK Fire Up Defense Cooperation With Joint Development

An inter-governmental agreement to develop and incorporate integrated full electric propulsion for the Indian Navy’s four landing platform docks is underway. R...

5 days ago

Japan’s Record 2027 Defense Budget Request Is Only the Opening Bid

Tokyo is building a force around AI, unmanned systems, a high-low weapons mix, and greater staying power. Read full article on The Diplomat →

5 days ago

After 25 Years, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Faces an Uncertain Future

The SCO faces an uncertain future. Its key members fear each other at least as much as they need each other.  Read full article on The Diplomat →

5 days ago

Sri Lanka’s New Anti-Terrorism Legislation

A law that cannot turn intelligence into evidence will reproduce the central weakness of the Prevention of Terrorism Act of 1979, regardless of how much power i...

5 days ago

India Has a Complex Youth Unemployment Problem, And There Isn’t a Quick Fix

Education and skills don't match available jobs. The economy isn’t creating good-quality employment for an expanding and increasingly educated workforce. Read...

5 days ago

Philippine Peso Slumps to Record Low Amid Rising Energy Prices

Like some of its regional counterparts, the Philippines continues to be buffeted by the economic shocks of the U.S.-Iran war. Read full article on The Diplomat...

5 days ago

For Indonesia’s Digital Banks, It’s All About Who You Know

The sector has experienced rapid growth in the past few years, and three large banks are firmly in the lead. Read full article on The Diplomat →

5 days ago

A Historic Villa in Yangon Gets an Upgrade

Myanmar's government is both preserving and erasing the legacy of General Aung San, who was central to the country's struggle for independence from Great Britai...

5 days ago

Vietnam Demands ‘Immediate Cessation’ to Construction Activities in Paracel Islands

The request follows reports of extensive Chinese construction activities on Antelope Reef and a nearby islet. Read full article on The Diplomat →

5 days ago

ASEAN and Japan’s Updated Free and Open Indo-Pacific Initiative

Protecting a shared foundation, not a bloc Read full article on The Diplomat →

5 days ago

The Reason Japan Cannot Commit to Dialogue with North Korea

The Tanaka affair has cast a long shadow. Read full article on The Diplomat →

5 days ago

Angola Is Emerging as One of Africa’s Most Important Gateways to the Asia-Pacific

The story of its success has not been straightforward. Read full article on The Diplomat →

5 days ago

Mongolia Hosts COP17, Urging Global Partners to Action on Climate Issues

Mongolia wanted to see “a shift from talk to action” at COP17. The results were mixed.  Read full article on The Diplomat →

5 days ago

A Message to China from Japan’s Takaichi Administration

Can Japan ‘normalize’ relations? Read full article on The Diplomat →

5 days ago

Humanoid Robots and China’s Vision of the Future

China’s humanoid robots are more than a showcase of state ambition. They reveal how differently we interpret visions of the technological future depending on wh...

5 days ago

Public Scrutiny Really Does Help the Unjustly Detained 

Concerned citizens and civil society groups working in tandem can help free the unjustly imprisoned. But the work is far from finished. Read full article on Th...

5 days ago

Nepal’s Floods Upset Its China-India Balancing Act

Trade infrastructure was swept away. Nepal’s trade with China, which was already limited, will be further restricted after the August 26 floods. Read full art...

5 days ago

Indonesia’s Emerging China Dependencies

Is this the beginning of the end of Jakarta’s truly “free and active” foreign policy?  Read full article on The Diplomat →

5 days ago

Why Australian Politics Is Shifting Right, Not Left

The prevalence of nationalism, authoritarianism, and populism explains the rise of far-right politics in Australia. Read full article on The Diplomat →

5 days ago

The Real Key to the AI Race: Nanometers or Gigawatts?

By 2030, the China-U.S. AI competition may be decided less by who builds the most advanced chips than by who deploys the most computing power. Read full articl...

5 days ago

In Cambodia, Floating Houses Are Stuck Aground as Climate Change Takes Hold

Researchers are seeing a change in Cambodian weather patterns as climate change takes hold across the region. Read full article on The Diplomat →

5 days ago

How the Chinese Government Has Controlled the Narrative on the Tibet Floods

Chinese state media’s handling of the Tibet floods is following its usual pattern of restricted coverage, censorship, and emphasizing positive news. Read full...

5 days ago

Human Rights Are Essential to Australia’s Interests

Governments such as Australia’s need to recognize that defending civil society and a free press throughout the region and beyond are not luxuries but central to...

5 days ago

US Unpredictability Is Giving Its Asian Allies New Reasons to Cooperate

Across the Indo-Pacific, several of the United States’ closest partners are investing more heavily in relationships with one another – and, increasingly, with E...

5 days ago

Australia Should Work With China, Not Try to Contain It

China’s growing power is reshaping the region. Australia should respond with diplomacy and stronger economic ties rather than a military confrontation it cannot...

5 days ago

Securing Navigation for Trans-Caspian Trade 

Since 2022, but particularly in 2026, hard maritime security issues on the Caspian Sea have started moving to the forefront. Read full article on The Diplomat...

5 days ago

Vietnam Sentences 11 to Death in Country’s Largest Ever Drug Trafficking Case

The case dates back to March 2023, when four flight attendants were ‌caught carrying narcotics hidden in toothpaste tubes on a flight from Paris to Ho Chi Minh...

5 days ago

Japan’s FOIP 3.0: Is Pragmatism That Delivers Resilience Enough?

Japan’s updated vision is sharper and more self-interested. Read full article on The Diplomat →

5 days ago

Escaping the Escalation Trap in the Thailand-Cambodia Maritime Dispute

Compulsory conciliation under UNCLOS could help both sides insulate sensitive negotiations from domestic political pressure. Read full article on The Diplomat...

5 days ago

Indonesia’s President Pitches His Country as Russia’s ‘Gateway’ to Southeast Asia

Speaking at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Prabowo Subianto described his country as “a natural entry point to ASEAN" for investors. Read full arti...

5 days ago

The Japan-Thailand Relationship: Light and Shadow

The benefits and vulnerabilities of deepening interdependence Read full article on The Diplomat →

5 days ago

The Climate Crisis Is Stretching the Nepali Military Beyond Its Limits

The question here is not whether the military should be involved in disaster response, but how the military itself is responding, adapting, and transforming ami...

5 days ago

Australia’s Broken Hill: Where Children Are Sacrificed to Mining Interests 

A historical mining town in Australia’s outback is confronting severe lead-contamination health threats, disproportionately affecting Aboriginal children.  Rea...

5 days ago

Ezra Jin Is Free, But There Are More Pastors in China Behind Bars

“I respectfully ask the international community to stand with me – to fight for the freedom of Pastor Gao Quanfu, Pang Yu, and all peaceful Christians imprisone...

5 days ago

The Meaning Behind Pakistan’s First Lunar Rover 

The Jinnah 1 mission signals increased cooperation with China and takes Pakistan’s rivalry with India to new heights – literally. Read full article on The Dipl...

5 days ago

US Allies in Asia Are Paying for the Iran Stalemate

The U.S. administration lacks the willingness to confront China and Russia over their assistance to Iran, and Asian allies are paying the price. Read full arti...

5 days ago

Central Asia’s Energy Transition Depends on Water Security

A more integrated and flexible power system could give Central Asian states greater room to manage drought, hydropower volatility, and competing demands for wat...

5 days ago

Security Is the Key to Resolving the Thai-Cambodia Border Conflict

“The first step is security: uphold the ceasefire, reduce military risks, clear mines, strengthen law enforcement, and cooperate against criminal networks.” Re...

5 days ago

K-Beauty’s Brazil Push Signals a New Type of Korean Diplomacy

As strange as it sounds, the Korean beauty industry is playing an increasingly important role in Seoul’s foreign policy calculus.  Read full article on The Dip...

5 days ago

‘We Are Horrified’: Academic Freedom at Risk With Uzbek Professor’s Arrest in Kazakhstan

Dr. Ikboljon Qoraboyev's arrest on espionage charges has sent shockwaves through Kazakhstan’s increasingly internationalized academic sector. Read full article...

5 days ago

Mohan Malik on Trump, Asia, and the Legacy of the Global War on Terror

The veteran strategist and security analyst joins Beyond The Mekong to discuss the region's ongoing security challenges. Read full article on The Diplomat →

5 days ago