Pakistan and Russia’s Pivot to the Global South
During the Cold War, Pakistan and Russia experienced icy relations. Pakistan was apprehensive of Russia’s closeness with India, while Moscow was apprehensive of Islamabad’s alliance with the West since...
View ArticleCambodia Pulls Out of Economic Agreement With Vietnam and Laos
Cambodia has withdrawn from a two-decade-old regional economic development agreement with Vietnam and Laos, in a rare concession to opponents who claimed the pact had led to an erosion of Cambodian...
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The Hidden Significance of China’s Aircraft Carrier Passage Near Japan’s...
On September 18, the Liaoning aircraft carrier of China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) passed through the waters between Japan’s Yonaguni Island and Iriomote Island, drawing significant...
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Parsing the Philippines’ ‘Pivot’ to China Under Rodrigo Duterte
Shortly after coming to office in mid-2016, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte traveled to Beijing on a state visit. There, in the Great Hall of the People, he announced his “separation” from the...
View ArticleRights Groups Condemn Myanmar Prisoner Executions, Warn More to Come
Human rights groups have condemned the reported execution of a husband and wife by Myanmar’s military junta yesterday, and called for international action to prevent the impending imposition of death...
View ArticleIs Indonesia’s Middle Class Really Shrinking?
Indonesia’s Central Statistics Agency (BPS) recently announced that the middle class in the country is shrinking. In 2019, the total middle class population numbered 57.33 million. According to BPS’s...
View ArticleSingapore Opens Corruption Trial of Former Transport Minister
Singapore’s first ministerial corruption trial in nearly half a century opened this morning, with former Transport Minister S. Iswaran pleading guilty to five of the 35 charges against him. According...
View ArticlePM Modi at the UN and the US: The Morning After
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has rarely missed the High-Level Week at the United Nations during his years in office. Like most world leaders, he likes the visibility, the chance to meet fellow heads of...
View ArticleEU China Policy Under von der Leyen 2.0
On September 17, the new European Commission under re-elected President Ursula von der Leyen was announced in Brussels, opening a new chapter that will shape the next five years of the European Union....
View ArticleVietnam’s To Lam Set to Meet With President Biden
To Lam, Vietnam’s president and the head of its ruling communist party, will today meet with U.S. President Joe Biden in New York. The meeting will take place on the sidelines of the United Nations...
View ArticleMyanmar is Not About to Become a ‘Fractured’ State
As the military junta in Myanmar continues to face mounting losses on the ground, the dominant narrative has shifted from “the military is too big to fail” to fears of Myanmar becoming a “failed” or...
View ArticleJapan To Downgrade Diplomatic Ties With Myanmar Junta, Report Says
Japan has become the latest country to downgrade diplomatic ties with Myanmar’s military junta, replacing its ambassador with a lower-ranked representative. In an article yesterday that cited “sources...
View ArticleWill BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami Form an Alliance in Post-Hasina Bangladesh?
The political scene in post-Hasina Bangladesh is in a massive churn. The once-powerful Awami League (AL) is in disarray. Its politics is in tatters and the party is facing a serious legitimacy crisis....
View ArticleAs Quad Completes 20 Years, India Takes on Multiple New Responsibilities
One of the key engagements of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his September 21-23 visit to the United States was the Quad Leaders’ meeting. Hosted by U.S. President Joe Biden in Wilmington,...
View ArticleNiue’s Strategic Diplomatic Expansion
Establishing a diplomatic presence is crucial for nations seeking to bolster their international stature, and for Niue, the opening of an honorary consulate in Japan represents a significant stride in...
View ArticleChina Is Gobbling up Chile’s Energy Sector
In recent weeks, U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General CQ Brown and U.S. Southern Command General Laura Richardson visited Chile, attending a multinational exercise and discussing...
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What’s in a Name? For Andaman and Nicobar Islands’ Capital, Everything.
Across the capital city of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, a striking new banner occupied every prominent space. Next to roads lined with potholes, it read: “Port Blair is more than a name. Port Blair...
View ArticleIndonesia Officially Lodges Application to Join Trans-Pacific Trade Pact
Indonesia has officially applied to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) in a bid to increase its exports, a senior minister said yesterday. Airlangga...
View ArticleThailand’s King Endorses Marriage Equality Bill
Scenes of celebration took place on the streets of Bangkok yesterday after the royal endorsement of the country’s marriage equality law, paving the way for the full legalization same-sex marriage early...
View ArticleMalaysia’s Guantanamo Bay Connection
Two Malaysian citizens, Mohammed Farik bin Amin and Mohammed Nazir bin Lep, have languished in the American Guantanamo Bay detention camp for the past 21 years. Calls for their release have grown in...
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