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4 Fault Lines that Could Shape the Trump-Xi Summit

The tangible outcomes will be modest, but the stakes are high.

friday 6

The Diplomat

Pulkit Buttan

Making the Most Out of Growing US-Uzbekistan Trade and Investment

Uzbekistan aims to attract greater U.S. investment, and is making its own investments in the United States. But it can’t forget the people.

friday 1

The Diplomat

Wilder Alejandro Sanchez

The Nexperia Case Was Actually a Success. Does Europe Know That?

A combination of media misunderstandings, Chinese distortions, and Dutch mistakes raise the risk that Europeans draw the wrong conclusions about...

friday 7

The Diplomat

Sense Hofstede

Infrastructure Gaps Test Pakistan’s Flagship CPEC Industrial Zone, Field Survey Finds

Even as investment tops 327 billion rupees, firms at Allama Iqbal Industrial City report inadequate wastewater infrastructure, unreliable utilities,...

friday 4

The Diplomat

Mujtaba Arshad

Shipki La and the Battle Over the History of China-India Trade

The Chinese narrative attempts to erase the independent agency Tibet exercised before 1951, framing Shipki La as a historical link between China and...

friday 2

The Diplomat

Akansh Khandelwal

From Symbolism to Strategy: The Expanding Operational Role of Women in Baloch Militancy

The motivations of individual women who join militant organizations cannot be reduced to a single explanation. The organizational incentives are...

friday 2

The Diplomat

Natasha Matloob And Yummna Hina Khan

Abroad, India’s RSS Speaks of ‘Love.’ At Home, Its Affiliates Attack Christians.

From church vandalism to grave desecration, assaults against Christian minorities are increasing in the large state of West Bengal since the BJP, an...

friday 4

The Diplomat

Snigdhendu Bhattacharya

India’s New Eye in the Sky: EOS-05 Satellite and What It Means for South Asia

EOS-05 is a single satellite that is part of a broader imitative of India to strengthen its ISR capabilities.

friday 7

The Diplomat

Abdul Moiz Khan And Sher Ali Kakar

Indian Navy Augments Its Submarine Rescue Capability

Commissioned on August 31, INS Nipun significantly augments the Navy’s specialist diving, underwater intervention, salvage, and submarine rescue...

friday 1

The Diplomat

Dinakar Peri

Arrests and Court Appearances Heighten Political Tensions in the Philippines

What are the political implications of Martin Romualdez’s arrest, Rodrigo Duterte’s ICC appearance, and the new criminal case against Vice...

friday 5

The Diplomat

Mong Palatino

How Looming US Sanctions Test India

The passage of the Lindsey Graham Act in the House and Senate allows President Trump to impose tariffs of up to 100 percent on exports from India to...

friday 5

The Diplomat

Rushali Saha

Where Does North Korea’s Nuclear Program Stand in 2026?

Here’s what satellite imagery and the IAEA are telling us.

friday 4

The Diplomat

Piergiorgio Pescali

China Is Moving Toward a New Form of Coercion at Sea

China is pushing patrols into new waters near Taiwan, regularizing its presence, and deploying research vessels that can conduct military...

friday 5

The Diplomat

Allen Zhang

To Succeed in AI, South Korea Is Reinventing Its Developmental State Model

South Korea is betting big on universal AI access, using state activism and corporate collaboration to strengthen its position in the global AI race.

friday 3

The Diplomat

Rajiv Kumar

Drones Offer Central Asian an Escape From Foreign Dependency

Central Asian states should jointly develop drone capabilities to prepare for current and future security needs.

friday 2

The Diplomat

Michael S. Coffey

What’s Wrong With US Pacific Islands Policy?

It’s the relationships, stupid.

friday 10

The Diplomat

Cleo Paskal

Former Philippine President Duterte Makes First In-person Appearance at ICC

The physical state of the 81-year-old raised questions about his fitness to participate in what is likely to be a protracted trial.

friday 10

The Diplomat

Sebastian Strangio

Why Malaysia Won’t Extradite Dr. Zakir Naik to India

Despite being wanted on various criminal charges in India, the Islamic preacher has become hugely popular since arriving in Malaysia in 2016.

friday 9

The Diplomat

Asif Ullah Khan

Why Is Thailand Not Prosecuting Members of the Mauerberger Network?

One year after the South African national Benjamin Mauerberger and his network were first exposed, not one intermediary has been charged.

friday 9

The Diplomat

Sarinee Achavanuntakul

Indonesian Parliamentary Committee Debates Changes to Fiscal Deficit Limit

Some lawmakers say that the current administration should have the right to a 3 percent ceiling in order to support its expansive economic agenda.

friday 10

The Diplomat

Sebastian Strangio

After a Self-Immolation at the UN, Rethinking What Beijing Fears on Tibet

Beijing’s real vulnerability is not international action. It’s rising awareness within the Chinese population.

17.09.2026 2

The Diplomat

Ginger Duan

US Congressmen Call for Tougher Actions Against Key Southeast Asian Scam Enablers

Brian Mast (R-FL) and John Moolenaar (R-MI) have requested probes into 28 people and entities allegedly connected to scam gangs in Cambodia, Laos, and...

17.09.2026 1

The Diplomat

Sebastian Strangio

BRICS Declaration: India’s Great U-turn on Iran

The declaration endorsed most of Iran's main diplomatic concerns without speaking a single word against its drone and missile attacks on its...

17.09.2026 2

The Diplomat

Asif Ullah Khan

China Is Building a Global Infrastructure for Its Cultural Industries

When a cultural industry expands overseas, that usually means exporting content. China is increasingly exporting the infrastructure behind...

17.09.2026 5

The Diplomat

Leonie Spangenberg

The Space Security Landscape Is Deteriorating Rapidly

With the United States announcing that it has deployed “on-orbit space control weapons,” the space arms race now appears to be fully underway.

17.09.2026 4

The Diplomat

Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan

Will Taiwan Fight? We Need Better Evidence.

Both those making pessimistic predictions and those confidently rejecting them often rely on thin evidence.

17.09.2026 3

The Diplomat

Mor Sobol

The Potential Mismatch Between Japan and the US on China

Ahead of the Trump-Xi summit, it is critical for Japan that the United States stays on the same page regarding the challenge from China.

17.09.2026 3

The Diplomat

Terrence Matsuo

Malaysian PM Offers to Host Myanmar’s President in Refugee Repatriation Push

The country would be the fifth member of ASEAN to roll out of the red carpet for Min Aung Hlaing since his inauguration as president in April.

17.09.2026 20

The Diplomat

Sebastian Strangio

Who Is to Blame for the Massive Death Toll in the Nepal Floods?

The problem wasn’t China or a lack of data; it was Nepal’s lack of follow-through.

17.09.2026 10

The Diplomat

Manju Telor

Indian, Pakistani Naval Vessels Collide in Arabian Sea, Prompting Diplomatic Tensions

This is the first time since the May 2025 military clashes that tension between the two sides has erupted into the open.

17.09.2026 20

The Diplomat

Sudha Ramachandran

BRICS 2026: A Forum, Not a Front

Xi and Putin in Delhi made the headlines. The declaration tells the real story of India's multi-alignment and why Europe should welcome it.

16.09.2026 4

The Diplomat

Christoph P. Mohr And Harshit Sharma

What Is Hinduism?

Hinduism may not be as well-defined and creedal as Christianity or Islam, but it is not a meaningless label either. It refers to a real idea.

16.09.2026 1

The Diplomat

Akhilesh Pillalamarri

Siddhant Kishore on BRICS and the New Geopolitics of Asia

Siddhant Kishore joins host Tushar Shetty to examine the BRICS summit in New Delhi and the strategic realignment underway across Asia.

16.09.2026 1

The Diplomat

Tushar Shetty

Kazakhstan Again Sentences Activists for Supposed Attempt to Seize Power

Human rights organizations are speaking out after five Kazakh activists were convicted for an alleged plan to seize the presidential residence in...

16.09.2026 3

The Diplomat

Albert Otkjær

A Year After Nepal’s Gen Z Uprising, Balendra Shah Confronts the Limits of Revolt

Its leaders successfully dismantled an old political order but had little knowledge of how to develop the institutions or governing consensus needed...

16.09.2026 1

The Diplomat

Biswas Baral

The New Delhi BRICS Summit Sends Powerful Messages to America

However determined Western governments may be to turn Russia and Iran into pariah states, much of the Global South rejects their isolation.

16.09.2026 2

The Diplomat

Muqtedar Khan

The Challenges of Finding Political Treasure in Chinese Overseas Ports

When it comes to Chinese overseas port projects, negative economic externalities may coexist with positive ones.

16.09.2026 2

The Diplomat

Jean-Marc F. Blanchard

What Do Taiwan’s People Think About Its Annual Military Exercises?

Taiwan’s Han Kuang exercises are winning public approval, despite the growing impact on civilians. Understanding is another matter.

16.09.2026 1

The Diplomat

Kuan-Chen Lee

South Korea Embraces the Silk Road Spirit With Central Asian Leaders

In the first Central Asia-South Korea leaders summit, energy and critical minerals were top of the agenda.

16.09.2026 3

The Diplomat

Catherine Putz

Will Southeast Asia Actually Benefit From Its AI Boom?

Southeast Asia might end up hosting substantial computing capacity without developing a correspondingly deep AI economy.

16.09.2026 1

The Diplomat

Gerald Mako

China’s Free-Trade Offer to Africa Won’t Solve the Trade Imbalance

Beijing has opened its enormous market to African exports. Whether that helps the continent move up global value chains is another question.

16.09.2026 1

The Diplomat

Matthew J. Rochat

Underwater Autonomy in the China-US Naval Race

Insights from Verineia Codrean.

16.09.2026 2

The Diplomat

Mercy A. Kuo

From Nomad Festival to National Showcase: Kyrgyzstan Takes Center Stage

In early September, Kyrgyzstan hosted both the World Nomad Games and the SCO summit in a carefully choreographed spectacle of national power and...

16.09.2026 10

The Diplomat

Aigerim Turgunbaeva

Okinawa Voted for a New Governor

Koja Genta didn't win because of his stance on U.S. bases. He won because of his vision for the economy.

16.09.2026 20

The Diplomat

Yuki Tatsumi

What Has AUKUS Pillar II Achieved Over 5 Years?

Pillar II’s progress has proven difficult to judge – not due to a lack of activity, but because there’s no agreed metric for what success should...

15.09.2026 5

The Diplomat

Kester Abbott And Tara Luckock

India-hosted BRICS Summit Steers Clear of Contentious Moves

The Delhi Declaration made no mention of de-dollarization. But it did back trade in national currencies.

15.09.2026 6

The Diplomat

Elizabeth Roche

Indonesia Replaces Finance Minister Amid Growing Investor Skepticism

The appointment of Suahasil Nazara, who has served as deputy finance minister since 2019, is intended to calm investors worried about Jakarta's fiscal...

15.09.2026 6

The Diplomat

Sebastian Strangio

Pakistan-Oman Maritime Deal Signals Gwadar’s Expanding Regional Relevance

As the strategically located Pakistani port’s geopolitical value increases, can its market readiness keep pace?

15.09.2026 7

The Diplomat

Umair Jamal

What Malaysia’s Recent State Election Results Say About the Country’s Political Direction

Oh Ei Sun of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs discusses the outcome of the recent elections in Johor and Negeri Sembilan.

15.09.2026 6

The Diplomat

Sebastian Strangio

In Turkmenistan’s Data Desert, the Golden Age Is a Mirage

The IMF says Turkmenistan, in failing to provide key economic data, is in breach of its obligations.

15.09.2026 5

The Diplomat

Catherine Putz