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December 02, 2021
Omicron Variant Threatens to Upend Southeast Asia’s COVID-19 Recovery
By Sebastian Strangio
After a challenging year, the region's governments have ample reason to take the emergence of the new strain seriously.
December 01, 2021
Which Asia-Pacific Countries Were (and Weren’t) Invited to the US Summit for Democracy?
By Shannon Tiezzi
The guest list underscores the region’s ambivalent relationship with democracy and political freedom.
November 30, 2021
Social Media Misinformation and the 2022 Philippine Elections
By Japhet Quitzon
Next year's presidential contest is set to produce a dramatic sequel to the “social media election" of 2016.
November 26, 2021
Sri Lanka Bows to Chinese Pressure Again
By Sudha Ramachandran
Colombo has agreed to pay millions of dollars to a Chinese company that has reportedly supplied it with contaminated organic fertilizer.
Diplomat Risk Intelligence Analyses That Help You Act Today – For Tomorrow
Report
Afghanistan and Taliban 2.0
August 2021
A DRI report on Afghanistan following the return of the Taliban regime to Kabul looks at the international security and geopolitical implications of the development.
Access the Report
Trendlines
Here Be Dragons?
October 2021
A data-driven deep dive into the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, situating it within the overall context of Pakistan’s economy.
Access Trendlines
Asia Review
Unrest in the Solomon Islands
December 3, 2021
Probing the causes of the Solomon Islands violence—and where geopolitics fits in the story.
Read Newsletter
Majlis
Australia and an Indo-Pacific in Flux
October 2021
Australia is making headlines. Let three leading experts from the country tell you about the forces shaping how Canberra is looking at world.
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Future Tense
Chinese Nuclear Weapons: A View From Beijing
November 25, 2021
Carnegie-Tsinghua Center for Global Policy's Tong Zhao discusses drivers behind China's nuclear weapons expansion, how Beijing perceives the international strategic environment, and much more.
Listen to Podcast
Magazine
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December 01, 2021
‘Patriots Only’: Hong Kong’s New Election System in Action
By Jessie Lau and Shui-yin Sharon Yam
Changes to Hong Kong’s election system, as well as the overarching national security law, have all but killed any formal political opposition.
December 01, 2021
Kazakhstan: What Happened in Zhanaozen?
By Zholdas Orisbayev
Ten years after the Zhanaozen massacre, has justice been served?
December 01, 2021
Bangladesh’s Evolving Relations With India and Pakistan
By Delwar Hossain
Bangladesh’s relations with India and Pakistan have gone through inverse cycles of friendship and hostility.
December 01, 2021
Asia After the Soviet Union
Five experts explore the legacy of the USSR and the impact of its collapse on China, India, Japan, the Koreas, and Vietnam.
Blogs
China Power
A New World Order
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December 07, 2021
Under Pressure From China’s Authorities, Didi Is Delisting From the New York Stock Exchange
By Nicola Daniel
Since its IPO on the NYSE, Didi has been the target of investigations and penalties from China’s Cyberspace Administration.
December 04, 2021
Amid Tensions With Turkey, China Is Putting the Kurdish Issue in Play
December 04, 2021
Behind Legislators’ Push to Make PRC National Day a New York State Holiday
December 03, 2021
What Chinese Dams in Laos Tell Us About the Belt and Road Initiative
Flashpoints
Diplomacy by Other Means
F
December 03, 2021
Afghanistan’s Taliban, Myanmar’s Tatmadaw Denied UN Seats, For Now
By Catherine Putz
The Taliban and the junta in Myanmar will remain outside the halls of the United Nations for now.
December 02, 2021
Is China Stacking the Technology Deck by Setting International Standards?
December 01, 2021
Even Duterte Can’t Get Around the Thorn in China-Philippine Relations
November 26, 2021
Nuclear Proliferation Concerns in East Asia: Beyond North Korea
Asia Defense
Militaries of the Asia-Pacific
D
December 03, 2021
Can Technology Predict War?
By Jacob Parakilas
Political scientists and analytical units in governments have tried to create more accurate, more rational, and more systemic ways to assess the risk of war for decades
December 03, 2021
How to Jumpstart a Dialogue With China on Arms Control
December 02, 2021
US Global Posture Review Calls for Stationing More Units in South Korea
November 29, 2021
Time to Revise the Japan Coast Guard Act?
ASEAN Beat
Insights Into Half a Billion
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December 07, 2021
New ASEAN Chair Cambodia to Push Engagement With Myanmar Junta
By Sebastian Strangio
Following a meeting with the junta's foreign minister today, Prime Minister Hun Sen said he would visit Myanmar next month.
December 06, 2021
Myanmar Court Sentences Ousted Leader Aung San Suu Kyi to 4 Years
December 06, 2021
Myanmar Army Truck Runs Down Protesters Ahead of Suu Kyi Verdict
December 06, 2021
Group Notes ‘Dramatic Spike’ in Reprisals Against Opposition MPs in Southeast Asia
The Pulse
Perspectives on South Asia
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December 07, 2021
The Dilemma Over the Blasphemy Law in Pakistan
By Niha Dagia
The mob killing of a Sri Lankan is the culmination of a fire lit decades ago, when a doctrinaire interpretation of Islam was allowed to thrive in a politically driven move to legitimize religious intolerance.
December 07, 2021
Afghan Museum Reopens with Taliban Security – and Visitors
December 06, 2021
Japan Steps in to Support India Against China in South Asia
December 06, 2021
India’s Nagaland Erupts in Protests Against Army Killing of Civilians
The Koreas
Divided Peninsula
K
December 06, 2021
The Long Shadow of the Asian Financial Crisis in South Korea
By Yong Kwon
Seoul’s approach to pandemic relief is colored by the formative experience of the 1997-98 crisis.
December 06, 2021
Kim Jong Un and the ‘Supreme Leader System’
December 01, 2021
Why South Korea Fell Behind Japan in Southeast Asia
November 25, 2021
Why Has North Korea Struggled to Normalize Trade With China?
Tokyo Report
News From Japan
R
December 02, 2021
Can Kishida Become Japan’s First Human Rights Prime Minister?
By Mieczysław P. Boduszyński and Christopher K. Lamont
Japan has rarely been keen to promote human rights and democracy overseas. That may change under Kishida and his new special adviser on human rights.
December 02, 2021
China Lashes Out at Japan’s Former PM Abe Over Taiwan Warning
November 25, 2021
Japan’s New Pandemic Border Restrictions Disappoint Residents Stranded Abroad
November 25, 2021
Will Japan-South Korea Relations Ever Get Back on Track?
The Debate
Comment and Opinion
D
December 06, 2021
What China Learned From the Collapse of the USSR
By Kunal Sharma
Three key lessons have helped the Chinese Communist Party avoid following its Soviet namesake into the dustbin of history.
December 03, 2021
Could Taiwan’s Political Left Reconsider Nuclear Power?
December 01, 2021
AI Strategic Competition, Norms, and the Ethics of Global Empire
November 24, 2021
The Indo-Pacific Exposes the Regionalisms of ‘Global’ Britain
Crossroads Asia
The New Silk Road
A
December 07, 2021
As the Dust Settles from Kyrgyzstan’s Election, What Next?
By Catherine Putz
As Kyrgyzstan’s new parliament takes shape, Japarov has the government he asked for. Now for the hard part: governing.
December 03, 2021
Mongolia-Russia Diplomatic Relations at 100
December 02, 2021
Mob Accosts Kyrgyz Opposition Politician Tekebayev
December 02, 2021
Nazarbayev to Step Down From Nur Otan Party Leadership
Trans-Pacific View
U.S. Policy on Asia
V
December 07, 2021
US Secretary of State Blinken Set for Maiden Southeast Asia Trip
By Sebastian Strangio
Antony Blinken's visits to Indonesia and Malaysia come amid a flurry of U.S. diplomatic engagements with the region.
December 02, 2021
Democracy Promotion in the Indo-Pacific: Prelude to a ‘Biden Doctrine’?
December 02, 2021
Taiwan’s Pragmatic Approach to Biden’s Democracy Summit
December 01, 2021
Which Asia-Pacific Countries Were (and Weren’t) Invited to the US Summit for Democracy?
Pacific Money
Economy And Business
M
December 07, 2021
Making Sense of Mitratel’s $1.3 Billion Dollar IPO on the Indonesia Stock Exchange
By James Guild
The listing sends the message that the government is willing to make room for the safe investment of private capital in Indonesia.
December 03, 2021
How Indonesia and Singapore Can Deepen Their Renewable Energy Cooperation
November 30, 2021
Thai Telcos Dtac and True Are Planning a Merger
November 25, 2021
The Idiosyncrasies of China’s Bond Market
Oceania
The South Pacific
O
November 30, 2021
Strong Showing for the Pacific at Biden’s Summit for Democracy
By Grant Wyeth
The Pacific Islands have not been overlooked by the White House, although the region’s democracies face challenges, too.
November 26, 2021
Violent Protests Unsettle Solomon Islands
November 26, 2021
Is China to Blame for Solomon Islands Unrest?
November 25, 2021
Australia Sending Troops to Solomon Islands as Unrest Grows
Videos
Asia on Video
V
November 24, 2021
AUKUS’ Reception in the Indo-Pacific
Shihoko Goto, Manjari Chatterjee Miller, and Susannah Patton discuss the implications of AUKUS for countries in the region.
October 29, 2021
Can China and the US Cooperate on Climate Change?
September 08, 2021
Where Does the China-India Border Dispute Stand?
August 10, 2021
Myanmar, Six Months After the Coup
Podcasts
Asia Geopolitics
P
November 20, 2021
Biden, Xi, and the Importance of Guardrails in the US-China Relationship
By Ankit Panda, Catherine Putz, and Ankit Panda and Catherine Putz
The United States and China aren’t satisfied with their relationship, but both sides appear to be interested in managing their differences.
November 13, 2021
Afghanistan, Then and Now
November 04, 2021
Continuity and Flux in Central Asia: Elections in Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan
November 01, 2021
The Shifting Nature of India-China Relations
Photo Essays
Asia in Pictures
E
November 01, 2021
On the Eve of Reopening, Thai Protesters Take to the Streets Again
By Cory Wright
Protesters’ demands remain the same: a constitutional overhaul, new elections and a reform of the monarchy.