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After Devastating Earthquake, Afghanistan Is Still Caught in the Sanctions Trap 

Afghanistan’s post-quake humanitarian catastrophe is to a large extent the predictable outcome of sanctions that strangle the economy and cut off...

previous day 20

The Diplomat

Freshta Jalalzai

Thailand’s Parliament Elects Anutin Charnvirakul as Next Prime Minister

The vote brings to an end a week of political uncertainty, but Thailand's political instability seems set to continue.

previous day 1

The Diplomat

Sebastian Strangio

Philippine Business Groups Call For Action on ‘Excessive’ Corruption

The call follows revelations about large-scale graft involving government-funded flood control projects.

previous day 3

The Diplomat

Sebastian Strangio

President Lai Ching-te’s Catch-22

President Lai Ching-te’s Catch-22

Well into his presidency, Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te faces what can only be described as a catch-22. Confronted by an increasingly assertive...

previous day 30

The Diplomat

Mor Sobol

Canadian Barrick Gold’s Gamble in Balochistan Meets a Violent Insurgency

The dream of reopening Reko Diq meets a harsh reality on the ground: a worsening insurgency and continued political instability.

previous day 20

The Diplomat

Kiyya Baloch

Evergrande’s Delisting Exposes China’s Slow Bankruptcy Trap

Evergrande’s Delisting Exposes China’s Slow Bankruptcy Trap

Hong Kong’s decision on August 25 to strike China Evergrande from the exchange should feel like a bookend. Instead, it reads like a status update....

previous day 20

The Diplomat

Ashton Ng

The Triumvirate’s Triple Win: What Xi, Putin, and Kim Each Gained in Beijing

While China’s, North Korea’s, and Russia’s motivations differ, their coordination increasingly resembles a bloc structure.

previous day 30

The Diplomat

Seong-Hyon Lee

Mongolia Exits SCO Observer Status, Draws Closer to China and Russia 

Mongolia Exits SCO Observer Status, Draws Closer to China and Russia 

In September 2025, amid the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit in Tianjin, a pivotal geopolitical shift took hold for Mongolia: after...

previous day 2

The Diplomat

Sumiya Chuluunbaatar

No, China’s Isn’t Leading an Anti-West Bloc

No, China’s Isn’t Leading an Anti-West Bloc

Recently China hosted the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Tianjin, followed by a grand military parade in Beijing. Both these...

previous day 3

The Diplomat

Mu Chunshan

Closing the Loop on Transition Finance in Asia-Pacific

Evercomm begins where climate targets meet industrial reality, translating site-level opportunities into bankable projects.

previous day 1

The Diplomat

Partner Content Written By Pangeaglobe

India-US Relations in the Shadow of American Decline

India-US Relations in the Shadow of American Decline

The downturn in India-U.S. relations has upset both the Indian strategic elite and a section of American foreign policy thinkers. They argue that...

previous day 3

The Diplomat

Anuradha Chenoy

China’s Parade of Power

This week’s military procession was a form of “deterrence theater” designed to demonstrate that Beijing has the tools to punish intervention and...

previous day 3

The Diplomat

Joe Varner

What Actually Mattered at China’s Big Military Parade?

What Actually Mattered at China’s Big Military Parade?

In this episode of The Diplomat’s Asia Geopolitics podcast hosts Ankit Panda ( @nktpnd ) and Katie Putz ( @LadyPutz ) — joined by The Diplomat’s...

previous day 4

The Diplomat

Ankit Panda And Catherine Putz

China’s Post-2018 Economic Statecraft: Sanctions, Countersanctions, and Export Controls

China’s Post-2018 Economic Statecraft: Sanctions, Countersanctions, and Export Controls

Economic leverage has become an increasingly important tool of statecraft for great powers in the 21st century. China is no exception. In recent...

previous day 3

The Diplomat

Xing Jiaying

China-India: Transactional Thaw or Structured Détente?

Bilateral relations between India and China have long followed a cyclical pattern: sporadic escalations give way to limited accommodation, only to...

previous day 3

The Diplomat

Rishma Banerjee

India, Japan Bolster Cooperation Amid China-US Rivalry

Recent India-Japan bilateral efforts to bolster tech and economic security draw on bilateral synergies and challenges posed by the China-U.S....

previous day 3

The Diplomat

Kashish Parpiani

China-Mongolia-Russia Agreement on Power of Siberia 2 Could Reroute Energy Trade

An agreement on the long-stalled pipeline was the major outcome of the latest China-Mongolia-Russia trilateral summit.

previous day 2

The Diplomat

Bolor Lkhaajav

The Variables of OPCON: One Wartime OPCON Transition, Multiple Plans 

The Variables of OPCON: One Wartime OPCON Transition, Multiple Plans 

The transition of wartime operational control (OPCON) from the United States to the Republic of Korea (ROK or South Korea) once again is a...

previous day 10

The Diplomat

Clint Work

India’s Silent Drone Revolution

A silent, indigenous, drone revolution is underway in India. It will reduce New Delhi’s reliance on foreign companies.

previous day 7

The Diplomat

Usman Haider And Summar Iqbal Babar

Amid Political Maneuvering, Thai Parliament Sets Date For Prime Ministerial Vote

The ruling Pheu Thai party is attempting to thwart the formation of a new government by dissolving parliament, pushing the country into "uncharted...

thursday 10

The Diplomat

Sebastian Strangio

Indus Waters Treaty: From Cooperative Vision to Calculated Confrontation

Instead of believing that strategic patience would breed stability, the Modi government’s strategic escalation has made Indus water flows a tool of...

thursday 6

The Diplomat

Medha Bisht

Bangladesh Erases Mujibur Rahman’s Legacy

Attacks on Mujib’s statues and questions over his leadership largely reflect anger against Sheikh Hasina, who used his figure to justify her...

thursday 7

The Diplomat

Amit Ranjan And Dhimoyee Banerjee

The Dark Side of China-North Korea Cooperation: Forced Labor

The Kim-Xi bonhomie shouldn’t overshadow the suffering of North Korea’s “state-dispatched workers” to China.

thursday 4

The Diplomat

Lee Sang-Yong

US Tariffs Turn the Screws on India’s Indigenous Industries

While India recalibrates its export strategy and trade partnerships, structural domestic industrial reforms also need addressing.

thursday 5

The Diplomat

Shruti Jain

A Death in Jakarta: Police Violence and the Crisis of Accountability

The killing of a young food delivery driver by a police armored vehicle has reignited the debate over police brutality in Indonesia.

thursday 3

The Diplomat

Fachrizal Afandi

Will the Kyrgyz Parliament Dissolve Itself?

Following an overhaul of Kyrgyzstan's electoral system in June, there is talk of dissolving parliament and holding early elections.

thursday 4

The Diplomat

Catherine Putz

Prince Hisahito and Japan’s Imperial Future

Prince Hisahito and Japan’s Imperial Future

This month, Prince Hisahito, the only son of Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko, will celebrate his 19th birthday and attend his...

thursday 5

The Diplomat

Peter Chai

Indonesia Fires Officer Involved in Police Killing That Ignited Violent Protests

The move is an attempt to mollify public anger at police brutality and the growing economic privation facing many Indonesians.

thursday 3

The Diplomat

Sebastian Strangio

Australia’s Real Immigration Problem

Australia’s Real Immigration Problem

Australia is both a large and a small country: a vast, continent-size landmass with a population less than that of Delhi. Due to its wealth...

thursday 3

The Diplomat

Grant Wyeth

Uzbek Fighters in Russia’s War Face Relatively Mild Punishments at Home

The number of Uzbek nationals fighting in the Russia-Ukraine war remains significant, and the price of returning home has become little more than a...

thursday 3

The Diplomat

Niginakhon Saida

Deciphering the Military Signals of China’s Victory Day Parade

The display of hardware at the parade contained clues about the types of missions and conflicts that Beijing expects for its military, as well as...

thursday 5

The Diplomat

Michael Clarke

Why Bangladesh’s Soldiers Who Gunned Down Civilians Should Be Tried by Civilian Courts

Why Bangladesh’s Soldiers Who Gunned Down Civilians Should Be Tried by Civilian Courts

The Bangladesh Army has long basked in the glow of its Liberation War legacy — and rightly so. In 1971, it fought not as an enforcer of state...

thursday 4

The Diplomat

Ahmede Hussain

A ‘Loser’s Nation’ and the Abandoned Chinese Dream

A ‘Loser’s Nation’ and the Abandoned Chinese Dream

For decades, Chinese society was built around an almost unrelenting pursuit of success. Since the early days of the Reform and Opening up era,...

thursday 5

The Diplomat

Ma Junjie

FCC Gives the US a Boost in Subsea Cable Competition With China

The Federal Communications Commission has adopted rules that will speed up submarine cable deployment while ensuring the security and resiliency of...

thursday 1

The Diplomat

Ellis Scherer

China’s Neighborhood Diplomacy Comes of Age in Southeast Asia

China’s Neighborhood Diplomacy Comes of Age in Southeast Asia

The past week offered a glimpse into a new era in China’s relations with Southeast Asia. The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit in...

thursday 10

The Diplomat

Kevin Zongzhe Li

Date Set for Uzbekistan to Sign Enhance Partnership Agreement With the European Union

Date Set for Uzbekistan to Sign Enhance Partnership Agreement With the European Union

Uzbekistan is set to finally sign an Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (EPCA) with the European Union in late October. This step...

03.09.2025 6

The Diplomat

Catherine Putz

What Were the Weapons on Display in China’s Military Parade?

China unveiled numerous new weapons, including nuclear-capable ICBMs.

03.09.2025 10

The Diplomat

Takahashi Kosuke

‘Illegal Migration’ and the Weaponization of Indigeneity in Assam

Assam’s decision to arm select communities echoes past vigilante experiments outlawed by India’s Supreme Court and risks deepening divisions in an...

03.09.2025 10

The Diplomat

Abantee Dutta

BIGD’s Pulse Survey Was About Voicing Citizens’ Hopes and Concerns, Not Predicting the Election Outcome

BRAC researchers respond to the concerns raised about the BIGD Pulse Survey in a recent Diplomat op-ed.

03.09.2025 30

The Diplomat

Md. Karimul Islam And Nusrat Jahan

America Is Watching: AUKUS Needs More Than Rhetoric From Australia

America Is Watching: AUKUS Needs More Than Rhetoric From Australia

The recent NATO summit in The Hague delivered a significant development as member states committed to increasing defense spending to 5 percent of...

03.09.2025 40

The Diplomat

Nishank Motwani

China’s Victory Day Parade Rekindles Cross-Strait Battle Over WW2 Narratives

The conflicting war narratives from Communist China, pro-unification Nationalists in Taiwan, and those seeking Taiwan’s independence have been...

03.09.2025 50

The Diplomat

Meredith Oyen

China’s Bargain, Russia’s Lifeline: The Geopolitics of Power of Siberia 2

China’s Bargain, Russia’s Lifeline: The Geopolitics of Power of Siberia 2

Cameras at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit captured Chinese President Xi Jinping, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and...

03.09.2025 10

The Diplomat

Antti Rauhala

EU-Taiwan Relations and China-US Strategic Competition

Insights from Simona Grano.

03.09.2025 3

The Diplomat

Mercy A. Kuo

India-China Competition in the Western Indian Ocean

India-China Competition in the Western Indian Ocean

The India-China geopolitical rivalry has traditionally been viewed through a continental lens, with the border dispute between the neighbors...

03.09.2025 3

The Diplomat

Radhey Tambi

US Policy Shift Complicates South Korean Semiconductor Operations in China

US Policy Shift Complicates South Korean Semiconductor Operations in China

In a significant setback for Samsung and SK Hynix, the Trump administration has revoked Validated End-User (VEU) status – a designation that...

03.09.2025 2

The Diplomat

Troy Stangarone

The Geopolitical Message of China’s Military Parade

The Geopolitical Message of China’s Military Parade

During the military parade through Tiananmen Square on September 3, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) introduced cutting-edge military hardware ,...

03.09.2025 2

The Diplomat

Rahul Pandey

How Japan Won the Bid to Supply Australia’s Next-Generation Frigate

And how Japan avoided a repeat of its 2016 setback.

03.09.2025 3

The Diplomat

Satake Tomohiko

Bhutan is Becoming Entangled in South Asia’s Narcotics Grid

Its porous border with India, and proximity to Bangladesh, Myanmar and India’s Northeast, which are narcotics hubs, is facilitating the drug trade.

03.09.2025 2

The Diplomat

Rajeev Bhattacharyya

Kim Jong Un Attends China’s Military Parade

Standing next to China’s leader Xi Jinping during the event, the North Korean leader showed off his leverage in the region.

03.09.2025 20

The Diplomat

Mitch Shin

The US Is Rethinking the India-Pakistan Dynamic 

Washington’s South Asia strategy is shifting, and it is this recalibration – rather than tariffs – that threatens to inject lasting volatility into...

03.09.2025 20

The Diplomat

Uzair Younus