The Burning of Buthidaung: Allegations, Denials, and Silence in Myanmar’s...
On May 17, the Arakan Army (AA, now rebranded as the Arakha Army) captured the town of Buthidaung in the northern part of Rakhine State in Myanmar’s west. The next day, large parts of the town had...
View ArticleWill Thailand’s Continued Political Instability Hamstring Its Economic Recovery?
On Monday, Reuters reported that Thailand’s main stock index had dropped to its lowest level in three-and-a-half years. According to the report, this capped off a year in which it has been Asia’s...
View ArticleControversy Rages over President Yoon’s Announcement of New Deep-Sea Drilling
On June 3, South Korea’s President Yoon Suk-yeol held a state-of-affairs briefing. It was striking for three reasons. First, it was his first such briefing. Second, the presidential office notified the...
View ArticleMongolia’s Ulaanbaatar Dialogue Focuses on Regional Cooperation in Energy...
Mongolia hosted the Ninth Ulaanbaatar Dialogue on Northeast Asian Security from June 6 to 7. Each year, the UB Dialogue, an international conference jointly organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs...
View ArticleTaiwan’s Energy Security Under Threat
On May 20, Lai Ching-te was inaugurated as Taiwan’s new president. This presidential transition attracted significant attention amid China-U.S. trade competition and the power struggle in East Asia....
View ArticleMyanmar Growth to Remain Stagnant As Conflict, Displacement Spreads
Myanmar’s economic performance will remain “feeble” this year due to intensifying conflict and the military junta’s compulsory conscription drive, according to the World Bank. In its latest Myanmar...
View ArticleIndonesia’s Prabowo Meets With US Secretary of State Over Gaza
On Tuesday, Indonesia’s President-elect Prabowo Subianto met with the U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, during which the pair discussed efforts to establish a lasting ceasefire in the Gaza Strip....
View ArticleGermany Faces a Balancing Act in Engaging with Prabowo’s Indonesia
The recent decisive election of Prabowo Subianto as Indonesia’s president marks a significant development in the Indo-Pacific region – one that might have notable implications for German-Indonesian...
View ArticleIndonesia Should Embrace a New ‘Revolution’ in Military Affairs
After the end of the Cold War, and particularly following the victory of the United States-led coalition in the Gulf War, American defense experts began to theorize that a “revolution in military...
View ArticleChina’s Premier Li Qiang Visits Australia: A Step Toward Stabilizing Relations
In a significant move signaling improved bilateral relations, China’s Premier Li Qiang is set to visit Australia between June 15 and June 18, marking the first visit by a Chinese premier since 2017....
View ArticleLadakh’s 2024 Election Verdict: Implications for India’s Domestic and Foreign...
The parliamentary election in India’s strategic region of Ladakh on June 4, 2024, was a major disappointment for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which had held the seat in the region for the...
View ArticleCentral Sulawesi and Central Java Continue to be JI Strongholds
In April of this year, eight suspected members of Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) were arrested in counterterrorism operations across Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. Four of the individuals were arrested in Palu,...
View ArticleJapan’s Rush to Play Cyber Defense Catchup
Japanese companies are under increasing attack from cyber criminals, and the government says it is ready to step in to coordinate a more offensive approach to cyber defense. The Kishida administration...
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How China Gained a Foothold in Eastern Taiwan
On May 23, the Bluebird Movement drew over 100,000 participants to a rally outside Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan. The demonstrators were protesting against a series of disputed “parliamentary reform bills”...
View ArticleChinese Leadership’s In-House Lecture Offers Valuable Insights into China’s...
On April 26, Professor Sun Ninghui, a preeminent expert in computer system architecture and an academician at the Chinese Academy of Engineering, delivered a pivotal lecture titled “The Development of...
View ArticleGermany’s Defense Engagement in the Indo-Pacific Is a Balancing Act
On May 7, the German Navy kicked off its second Indo-Pacific deployment. Two ships, the frigate Baden-Württemberg and the combat supply ship Frankfurt am Main, set sail for a world tour. The deployment...
View ArticleHow Venezuela’s Threats Are Restructuring China-Guyana Relations
On February 24, Venezuelan K-8W light attack jets flew from the eastern port city of Guiria over the Atlantic in a show of force directed at the country’s neighbor, Guyana. The Chinese-made aircraft...
View ArticleChina, Taiwan, and the Future of Guatemala
Over the past year, China has made significant advances in Central America in multiple sectors, in strategic geography ever closer to the United States. It has built that position in countries ruled by...
View ArticlePhilippine DOH Wants Answers on US ‘Anti-Vax’ Influence Campaign
The Philippine Department of Health is seeking an investigation into an alleged secret U.S. military influence campaign to counter what Washington perceived as China’s growing influence in the...
View ArticleMaldives Bans Israeli Tourists, Then Rethinks Decision
A ban on Israeli tourists announced by the Maldives is unlikely to be a “blanket ban” on all Israeli citizens, Attorney General Ahmed Usham indicated on June 13. Earlier on June 10, the Maldives...
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