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Features
Vietnam's Religious Law: Testing the Faithful
By
Luke Hunt
for
The Diplomat
January 12, 2017
Vietnam's new Law on Belief and Religion sparks worry about freedom of religion in the communist country.
Rafsanjani: The Iranian Revolution’s Unlikely Reformer
By
Kevjn Lim
for
The Diplomat
January 12, 2017
No one embodied the travails and contradictions of Iran’s Revolution as deeply as the late Hashemi Rafsanjani.
Golden Temple, Grey Air: Pollution in Amritsar
By
Deepti Asthana
for
The Diplomat
January 11, 2017
Pollution is threatening the world's holiest Sikh shrine.
Vietnam's Next Environmental Hotspot
By
Nguyen Minh Quang
for
The Diplomat
January 10, 2017
Less than a year after a major pollution crisis, trouble is brewing in the Mekong Delta.
India's International Child Abduction Dilemma
By
Neeta Lal
for
The Diplomat
January 10, 2017
New Delhi faces pressure to ratify a convention that activists fear would ultimately harm Indian women and children.
The Rise of Religious Extremism in Balochistan
By
Muhammad Akbar Notezai
for
The Diplomat
January 09, 2017
“Once you unleash these monsters, as you know from Afghanistan, you cannot control them.”
Society
Vietnam's Religious Law: Testing the Faithful
Politics
Rafsanjani: The Iranian Revolution’s Unlikely Reformer
Environment
Golden Temple, Grey Air: Pollution in Amritsar
Environment
Vietnam's Next Environmental Hotspot
Society
India's International Child Abduction Dilemma
Security
The Rise of Religious Extremism in Balochistan
Popular Stories
January 07, 2017
China’s Zombie Companies and Japan’s Lost Two Decades
Japan’s experience is instructive for China economy watchers.
Read Story
January 07, 2017
China’s Trouble With Pakistan’s Turbulent Democracy
The real stumbling block to CPEC? The differences in political systems between China and Pakistan.
Read Story
January 06, 2017
Declassified: How India Tracked Pakistan’s Development of a Nuclear Device
Newly declassified documents reveal how New Delhi tracked Islamabad’s pursuit of a nuclear device.
Read Story
China Power
A New World Order
January 13, 2017
The Limits of China's 'Silk Road' to Europe
The rail links between China and Europe may be too limited to significantly change its geostrategic circumstances.
Read Post
Report: Hong Kong Human Rights Situation Worst Since 1997
China's Middle East Dilemma: Israel or Palestine?
Why China's Taiwan Approach Is Counterproductive
What All of China's New Leaders in 2017 Will Have in Common
Taiwan’s Anno Horribilis for Tourism: Political Theater vs. Economic Reality
More Posts
Flashpoints
Diplomacy by Other Means
January 13, 2017
A Chinese Carrier in the Taiwan Strait Isn't
Always
a Reason for Panic
The
Liaoning
passage’s ‘defiance’ is exaggerated; transits should be seen as more normal.
Read Post
Rex Tillerson, Trump's Secretary of State Nominee, Has a Dangerous Idea for the South China Sea
Taiwan Scrambles Fighters as China's Aircraft Carrier Enters Taiwan Strait
India Has Nothing to Fear From China's 'Belt and Road'
Pakistan’s Tests New Sub-Launched Nuclear-Capable Cruise Missile. What Now?
Why Vietnam Has Turned Its Strategic Attention to the Sea
More Posts
Asia Defense
Militaries of the Asia-Pacific
January 13, 2017
Azerbaijan's Growing Military Cooperation With Pakistan
Baku is seeking out increased defense imports from Pakistan, including JF-17 aircraft.
Read Post
Can the US Defend Against a North Korean ICBM?
A New Russia-Philippines Military Pact?
India, Vietnam in Talks Over Surface-to-Air Missile System
A New Cyber Agency for Indonesia?
US Navy Pushes Ahead With Plan to Build 12 New Nuclear Ballistic Missile Subs
More Posts
ASEAN Beat
Insights Into Half a Billion
January 12, 2017
The Real Danger of Cambodia’s ‘Gay King’ Episode
A recent incident could have broader implications for democracy and human rights in the country.
Read Post
Why Malaysia's Najib Razak Isn't Going Anywhere
What Will a New Indonesia Cyber Agency Mean?
Singapore and Cambodia: A Relationship Built on Sand
Japan Eyes New Coast Guard Body for ASEAN States
Duterte's 'War on Drugs' in the Philippines: By the Numbers
More Posts
The Pulse
Perspectives on South Asia
January 13, 2017
Is the Indian Supreme Court's Order to Ban Political Campaigns Based Around Identity Tenable?
A recent verdict by the Indian Supreme Court raises questions about electoral politics in the country.
Read Post
India-UAE Ties: Moving Beyond Oil
What Trump Needs to Know About Afghanistan
Pakistan's Missing Human Rights Activists
Pakistan, Neutrality, and Saudi Arabia's Islamic Military Alliance
Taliban Target Afghan Parliament in Suicide Bombing
More Posts
The Koreas
Divided Peninsula
January 09, 2017
The 'Final and Irreversible' 2015 Japan-South Korea Comfort Women Deal Unravels
Despite a 2015 deal, the "comfort women" dispute between Japan and South Korea continues to have salience for bilateral ties.
Read Post
In South Korea Impeachment Trial, Park's Lips Are Sealed
Former North Korean Diplomat: Denuclearization Not Likely
South Korea's Ruling Party Splits
3 Stages of Park Geun-hye's China Diplomacy
Time for a Constitutional Change in South Korea?
More Posts
Tokyo Report
News from Japan
January 12, 2017
How Trump Could Push China and Japan Together
Both China and Japan should work together to map out how to survive the Trump era.
Read Post
Facing North Korean Threat, Japan Plans Ballistic Missile Evacuation Drills
Putin’s Visit to Japan and the Russia-Japan Summit
Abe in Pearl Harbor: From Remembrance to Reconciliation
Reluctant Military Power: Japan Opposes South Sudan Arms Embargo
Japanese Civil Society Is Helping Support Refugee Entrepreneurs
More Posts
The Debate
Comment and Opinion
January 11, 2017
US-China Underwater Drone Incident: Legal Grey Areas
The legal case against China's actions is not as clear cut as some U.S. scholars argue.
Read Post
Democracy and Human Rights Shouldn’t Take a Backseat in US Southeast Asia Policy
The Foolishness of Strategic Decapitation in North Korea
The Many Faces of Climate Change Migration in Asia
Powering Asia’s Renewable Revolution
China, Spanish America, and the 'Birth of Globalization'
More Posts
Crossroads Asia
The New Silk Road
January 12, 2017
Thanks Dad! Tajik President's Son Gets A New Job
Rustam Emomali is the new mayor of Tajikistan's capital.
Read Post
2 Years On, Eurasian Economic Union Falls Flat
Kyrgyz President Visits China, Stays for a Vacation
The Central Asian Women on the Frontline of Jihad
Gas Spats: Turkmenistan Tangles With Iran
Will Trump Recognize Russian Annexation of Crimea?
More Posts
The Rebalance
U.S. Policy on Asia
January 10, 2017
Rebalancing Russia: Trump's Pivot to Putin
Insights from Jill Dougherty.
Read Post
Will India’s Lobbying Change U.S. Policy Toward Pakistan?
North Korea: 4 Hard Questions for the Trump Administration
China-Cuba Relations: Assessing US Stakes
Trump’s China Hawk
Trump and US Asia Policy: Why Intel Matters
More Posts
Pacific Money
Economy and Business
January 07, 2017
China’s Zombie Companies and Japan’s Lost Two Decades
Japan’s experience is instructive for China economy watchers.
Read Post
Can India Go Cashless?
Asia’s New Year Resolutions for 2017
Asia’s 2016 Winners and Losers
South Korea Is Poised for Economic Disaster
Indonesia Revives Rupiah Redenomination Plan
More Posts
Asia Life
The Other Asia-Pacific
January 05, 2017
Kabul: A City With 2 Faces
Kabul is a city of both hope and fear.
Read Post
‘Azja Express’: Asia’s Life Unexpressed
Peering Into Hong Kong’s Dark Side
Japan's Asahi Spends $7.8 Billion, Moving into Eastern European Beer Market
Remembering Junaid Jamshed: From ‘Pakistan Pakistan’ to ‘Medina Medina’
The Hidden Costs of Asia's High Test Scores
More Posts
Oceania
The South Pacific
January 11, 2017
Timor-Leste Seeks a Better Maritime Border With Australia
Terminating the CMATS treaty is a first step, but negotiating a median line boundary will be more difficult
Read Post
Time for Australia to Embrace Urbanization
'Crocs in the Cabinet': A Sordid Look at Australian Local Politics
Australia-Philippines Relationship: It’s Complicated
Why Trump Has Rattled the Land Down Under
Meet Bill English, New Zealand’s New Prime Minister
More Posts
Podcasts
Asia Geopolitics
January 11, 2017
Understanding Sri Lanka, Two Years After Sirisena Defeated Rajapaksa
Taylor Dibbert and Ankit Panda discuss Sri Lanka's domestic politics and foreign policy.
Listen
8 Years Later: Understanding the Obama Administration's Asia-Pacific Legacy
Obama's Asia-Pacific Legacy: Assessing Policy Toward Maritime Challenges and the North Korea Threat
US Defense Diplomacy in the Asia-Pacific: What Obama and Carter Will Leave Trump and Mattis
Making Sense of Donald Trump's Early Asia Moves: Taiwan, China, Pakistan, and the Philippines
The 'Pivot' Gets Trumped: The Asia-Pacific Under President Trump
More Podcasts
Videos
Asia on Video
December 20, 2016
Indian Journalist’s Road From Addiction to Recovery
Vijay Simha, a senior Indian journalist, recovered from alcoholism to write books on sobriety.
View Video
'Apprentice': Filmmaker Explores Capital Punishment in Singapore
Filmmakers Take Cinema to Dalai Lama’s Hometown-in-Exile
Nepal's Singing Storyteller
Commemorating the Thammasat University Massacre in Thailand
Interview: Mongolian Foreign Minister Lundeg Purevsuren
More Videos
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From The Magazine
December 27, 2016
Capital Punishment: New Delhi’s Deadly Smog
Unprecedented pollution in the capital speaks to the severity of India’s air pollution crisis.
Preview Story
December 27, 2016
Five Decades of ASEAN: The History of a Political Miracle
Fifty years after its founding, ASEAN remains central to prosperity in Southeast Asia.
Preview Story
December 27, 2016
The Pacific Islands Play the Field
New realities are shaping Pacific Island states’ relationships with China, Russia, Australia, and the United States.
Preview Story
December 31, 2016
The Asia-Pacific in 2017: What to Expect
The Diplomat looks at the trends to watch across the region in the coming year.
Preview Story
More Previews
Latest Features
January 04, 2017
Russia's Buddhist Republic
In Russia’s Republic of Kalmykia, the remnants of Buddhism sit in the Soviet Union’s lingering shadow.
Read Story
January 04, 2017
Afghanistan's Militias: The Enemy Within?
Local militias may be allied with the state now, but historically they have posed dangers to the central government.
Read Story
January 07, 2017
Debunking the Rohingya-Taliban Link
Getting to the bottom of the Rohingya insurgency's alleged links to transnational terrorism.
Read Story
January 06, 2017
India and China's Tug of War Over Nepal
Nepal's politicians face increasing pressure from both China and India.
Read Story
January 05, 2017
Same-Sex Marriage in Taiwan
A look back at the evolution of gay rights in Taiwan -- and the growth of the movement's opposition.
Read Story
December 27, 2016
Capital Punishment: New Delhi’s Deadly Smog
Unprecedented pollution in the capital speaks to the severity of India’s air pollution crisis.
Read Story
January 03, 2017
The Rise of Taliban Diplomacy
How are the Taliban and Kabul faring in their diplomatic tug-of-war over Afghanistan's neighbors?
Read Story
December 27, 2016
Five Decades of ASEAN: The History of a Political Miracle
Fifty years after its founding, ASEAN remains central to prosperity in Southeast Asia.
Read Story
December 27, 2016
The Pacific Islands Play the Field
New realities are shaping Pacific Island states’ relationships with China, Russia, Australia, and the United States.
Read Story
More Features
Interview
January 06, 2017
Speaker Chung Sye-Kyun on South Korea's Political Crisis
Chung Sye-kyun, Speaker of the National Assembly, talks about "Choi-gate" and the future of Korea's foreign relations.
Read Interview
More Interviews
The Diplomat's Quiz
January 09, 2017
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