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Central Asian Conference of Women Journalists Abruptly Cancelled in Dushanbe

While it is unclear who stands behind the push to cancel the event, it is another sign of the deterioration of press freedom in the region.

latest 9

The Diplomat

Kulobiddin Norov

Risk and Reward in Central Asia’s Critical Raw Materials Boom

As Brussels, Beijing, Moscow, and Washington scramble to secure key materials for clean energy and new tech, they have begun to size up the...

latest 8

The Diplomat

Nazerke Mukhamediya And Dana Ubaidolla

Malaysia’s PM Anwar Ibrahim Embarks on Second Visit to Russia

Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim will today embark on a four-day state visit to Russia at the invitation of President Vladimir Putin, his...

yesterday 3

The Diplomat

Sebastian Strangio

Duterte Allies Perform Strongly in Philippine Midterm Elections

Candidates aligned with the former president are on track to win four Senate seats, which could be crucial in Vice President Sara Duterte's...

yesterday 3

The Diplomat

Sebastian Strangio

The Rise and Fall, and Rise Again, of Sea Ltd

NYSE-listed Sea Ltd, parent company of Southeast Asian e-commerce giant Shopee, has been on a wild ride over the last couple of years. In November...

yesterday 3

The Diplomat

James Guild

Pakistan Comes Out Emboldened After Clashes With India

A tense quiet has settled along the Pakistan-India border as a fragile ceasefire holds after days of fierce air battles, missile strikes, and drone...

yesterday 2

The Diplomat

Umair Jamal

Thaksin Shinawatra’s Casino Gamble

The former PM believes legalized gambling will help revive Thailand's moribund economy, but political rivals are using the issue to challenge his...

yesterday 2

The Diplomat

Patrick Jory

The Taliban’s Role in the Fragile Ceasefire Between India and Pakistan

Afghanistan has long been linked to cross-border terrorism. That could prove a major factor if the combatants shift from state armies to proxy...

yesterday 3

The Diplomat

Besmillah Taban

India-Pakistan Military Crisis: A Testing Ground for Chinese Military Hardware 

Clashes between the regional rivals marked the first use in combat of several Chinese weapons systems. And the previously untested inventory...

yesterday 10

The Diplomat

Shaheer Ahmad

North Korean Spy Arrest in China May Signal Beijing’s Unease over Growing Pyongyang-Moscow Ties

There are signs that Beijing is growing frustrated with Pyongyang – including the reported arrest of a North Korean spy in Shenyang, China.

yesterday 2

The Diplomat

Linggong Kong

Kazakhstan’s Slow Shift Away From Celebrating Victory Day

While the Soviet victory in World War II 80 years ago is still celebrated today, its form has changed to be less about Soviet heritage, and more...

yesterday 2

The Diplomat

Albert Otkjær

After Last-Minute PPP Drama, South Korea’s Presidential Campaigns Officially Kick Off

The candidates are set, despite some twists in the ruling party’s primary process. Now the 21-day presidential campaign has officially begun.

yesterday 1

The Diplomat

Mitch Shin

Don’t Be Fooled: The China-US Trade War Is Here to Stay

Over the weekend, China and the United States hailed a “ constructive” round of trade talks – their first official engagement since the Trump...

yesterday 30

The Diplomat

Li Qiang

20 Years Since Andijan, Remembering Past Abuses in Uzbekistan

It’s been 20 years since Uzbekistan’s security forces opened fire on a largely peaceful crowd of protesters and curious onlookers, including women...

yesterday 10

The Diplomat

Mihra Rittmann

The 2nd Genocide of the Rohingya

A second wave of genocide in Myanmar’s Rakhine State has once again placed the Rohingya population at grave risk. An uptick in fighting between the...

previous day 20

The Diplomat

Rohim Ullah

Russian Pressure and Kazakhstan’s Embattled Civil Society

Astana’s balancing act is becoming ever more precarious, with civil society caught in the crossfire at a moment when its voice is needed most.

previous day 10

The Diplomat

Henry De Jong

Ajai Sahni on India’s Military Strikes on Pakistan

Covert operations are “far more effective in weakening the terrorist infrastructure and enterprise in Pakistan, but only if they cover the full...

previous day 4

The Diplomat

Sudha Ramachandran

Bangladesh’s Interim Government Bans Awami League

This is not the first time the AL is facing political extinction. Can it survive this blow as it did several times in the past?

previous day 4

The Diplomat

Saqlain Rizve

China’s Thinking on Pahalgam and Operation Sindoor

On April 22, militants gunned down 25 Indian civilians and one Nepali in Kashmir. The attack was claimed by The Resistance Front (TRF), which India...

previous day 4

The Diplomat

Eerishika Pankaj And Omkar Bhole

China and India’s Quiet Competition in the South Caucasus 

Can the rival Asian giants expand their influence without destabilizing the region?

previous day 5

The Diplomat

Magsud Mammadov

China, US Declare Temporary Truce in Their Trade War

China and the United States agreed to sharply reduce tariffs on each other’s products over the weekend, drawing back from a trade war that had seen...

previous day 3

The Diplomat

Shannon Tiezzi, Yuan Xunhui, And Zhang Juan

Richard Armitage, Joseph Nye, and the Future of the Japan-US Alliance

The Trump administration appears to have inherited the mantle of being “pro-U.S.-Japan alliance” from two establishment figures whose class the...

previous day 5

The Diplomat

Jio Kamata

Thai Courts Turn Spotlight on Former PM Thaksin’s Hospital Stay

Yesterday, a court in Thailand denied permission for former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to travel to Qatar, supposedly for a meeting with...

previous day 6

The Diplomat

Sebastian Strangio

India and Pakistan Agree to Ceasefire

After four days of escalating military exchanges involving drones, loitering munitions, missiles, artillery, and fighter aircraft that set off...

previous day 20

The Diplomat

Elizabeth Roche

Southeast Asia, Australia, and the Trumpian Worldview

Tragedy and major events have dominated headlines across Southeast Asia and beyond in recent months, including the civil war and earthquake in...

previous day 10

The Diplomat

Luke Hunt

Nepal’s Secular Character Weakens as Agenda for Hindu State Gains Traction

The 2015 Constitution of Nepal incorporates a curious definition of secularism. The charter defines Nepal as a “secular” state, one guaranteeing “...

previous day 10

The Diplomat

Biswas Baral

Why India’s Northeast Frontier is More Vulnerable Than Its Western Border with Pakistan

India could be more vulnerable in its border region of the Northeast than along its western frontier with Pakistan, which has continuously hogged...

previous day 10

The Diplomat

Rajeev Bhattacharyya

Trump Administration Ends Temporary Protections for Afghan Immigrants

Homeland Security Secretary Noem determined that "permitting Afghan nationals to remain temporarily in the United States is contrary to the...

previous day 10

The Diplomat

Catherine Putz

Tracking Conflict in the Asia-Pacific: May 2025 Update

Each month, ACLED’s Asia Pacific Team collects information on the dates, actors, locations, fatalities, and types of all reported political...

previous day 10

The Diplomat

Acled Asia Pacific Team

How Marco Rubio’s Dual Roles Could Impact the China-US Relationship

Rubio's position as both secretary of state and national security adviser further elevates his profile in the Trump administration. What will that...

previous day 10

The Diplomat

Jiachen Shi

Cambodia, China Prepare to Launch ‘Golden Dragon’ Military Exercises

China and Cambodia will open their annual Golden Dragon joint military exercises on Wednesday, marking the latest iteration of joint drills whose...

previous day 8

The Diplomat

Sebastian Strangio

Filipino Journalists Continue to Face Attacks Despite ‘Improved’ Media Situation

The Philippine government celebrated the country’s improved ranking in Reporters Without Borders (RSF)’s latest World Press Freedom Index, but...

previous day 3

The Diplomat

Mong Palatino

Chinese Mining Companies Steal The Show at Chile’s Expomin

In late April, Expomin, the largest mining business expo in Latin America, held its biannual gathering in Santiago de Chile. This year’s expo had...

previous day 4

The Diplomat

Joseph Bouchard

The India-Pakistan Clashes of 2025: Why Things Are Different (And More Dangerous) This Time

The Diplomat’s Asia Geopolitics podcast hosts Ankit Panda (@nktpnd) and Katie Putz (@LadyPutz) discuss the outbreak of violence between India and...

10.05.2025 2

The Diplomat

Ankit Panda And Catherine Putz

The Strategic Misreading of Taiwan Is a Dangerous Oversight

Casting Taiwan as a “provocateur” is not only analytically flawed, but risks legitimizing Beijing’s aggression.

09.05.2025 2

The Diplomat

Sana Hashmi

The Duality in China’s Security Relations With Russia 

Chinese President Xi Jinping is on a four-day visit to Russia that started on May 7, which will include his attendance at a military parade marking...

09.05.2025 2

The Diplomat

Daniel Balazs

NPP Sweeps Sri Lanka’s Local Elections, But Vote Share Plummets

Different issues determine electoral choices in national and local government elections.

09.05.2025 1

The Diplomat

Rathindra Kuruwita

Connectivity and Energy Cooperation Key to Boosting India-Azerbaijan Relations

India’s relations with Azerbaijan are among the least studied and even less understood. The present day relationship between the two countries is...

09.05.2025 4

The Diplomat

Shanthie Mariet D’Souza

50 Years After the War, Vietnam’s Greatest Challenge May Lie in the Realm of Memory

April 30 marked the 50th anniversary of the fall of Saigon, and the end of a war that has profoundly shaped Vietnam and its place in the world....

09.05.2025 2

The Diplomat

Leo Tran

Marcos-Duterte Feud Looms Large as Philippines Approaches May 12 Midterms

The dramatic feud between the two political dynasties has polarized the Filipino electorate and crowded out substantial policy debates.

09.05.2025 3

The Diplomat

Sebastian Strangio

The Japan-US Alliance: Has the ‘Bottle Cap’ Come Off? 

In Japan-U.S. relations, there is an often-heard argument that the United States is controlling Japan to prevent it from becoming a military...

09.05.2025 10

The Diplomat

Kato Hiroaki

Northern Myanmar Poses a Challenge to China’s Critical Minerals Strategy

Amid the ongoing conflicts between Myanmar’s military junta and various ethnic armed groups, two recent meetings – one between representatives of...

09.05.2025 6

The Diplomat

Wai Yan Phyo Naing And Lin Sae-Phoo

Under the Eternal Blue Sky: How Mongolian Families Are Reimagining Ger Living

On the outskirts of Mongolia’s capital city, Ulaanbaatar, lie the ger districts, residential areas filled with traditional dwellings and marked by...

09.05.2025 4

The Diplomat

Devor Rodabaugh

The CIA Is Making a New Push to Recruit Chinese Officials. Will It Work?

On May 1, the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) released two videos in Mandarin on its social media accounts, each targeting a different...

09.05.2025 5

The Diplomat

Zi Yang

PACE Issues Declaration on Afghan Women in Central Asia

Members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe ( PACE ) signed a declaration in early April supporting gender equality and women’s...

09.05.2025 2

The Diplomat

Wilder Alejandro Sanchez

India’s Indus Waters Treaty Suspension: What Happens Next?

In the wake of the horrific attack on unarmed civilians in Pahalgam in April, New Delhi made the momentous decision to suspend the Indus Waters...

09.05.2025 5

The Diplomat

Ambika Vishwanath

The Politics of Regional Gravity: South Korea’s Space Future Caught in Domestic Politics 

South Korea’s drive to become a top-five space power by 2045 is no longer just about rockets and satellites. It is now a story of political...

09.05.2025 2

The Diplomat

Jennifer Hong Whetsell And Seokjin Yun

Xi, Putin Vow to ‘Defend the Victorious Outcome of WWII’ – by Countering the US

China’s President Xi Jinping is in Russia on a state visit from May 7 to 10, highlighted by his attendance at the massive military parade in Moscow...

09.05.2025 2

The Diplomat

Shannon Tiezzi, Yuan Xunhui, And Zhang Juan

Revealed: North Korea’s Diplomatic Missions Double as Trade Brokers

North Korea’s overseas diplomatic missions broker trade and investment deals through their economic and trade counselor’s departments and collect...

09.05.2025 5

The Diplomat

Mun Dong Hui

Myanmar Junta Boss to Attend World War II Victory Parade in Moscow

Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing has made five trips to Russia since the February 2021 coup.

09.05.2025 4

The Diplomat

Sebastian Strangio