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Features
Myanmar's Amazing Modernization
By
Olaf Schuelke
for
The Diplomat
March 22, 2017
Myanmar's rapid transformation, as seen in the commercial capital of Yangon.
Saving Vietnam's Floating Markets
By
Nguyen Minh Quang and Dao Ngoc Canh
for
The Diplomat
March 21, 2017
Long a staple of Mekong Delta culture, Vietnam's floating markets must now adapt or fade away.
Can Malaysia's Opposition Win?
By
Nithin Coca
for
The Diplomat
March 20, 2017
Despite the massive 1MDB scandal, Malaysia's ruling party might be in an even better position than in 2013.
China's Urbancide in Tibet
By
Rinzin Dorjee
for
The Diplomat
March 17, 2017
China's urbanization policies have a particularly telling impact on Tibet.
Taiwan's 'Little Burma'
By
David Prentice
for
The Diplomat
March 18, 2017
Huaxin Street in Taipei is home to many of Taiwan's 40,000 Burmese immigrants.
What’s It Like to Be a Woman in Bollywood?
By
Vishal Arora
for
The Diplomat
March 17, 2017
Shreya Narayan shares her experience as a Bollywood actress and what she see would like to see change.
Society
Myanmar's Amazing Modernization
Society
Saving Vietnam's Floating Markets
Politics
Can Malaysia's Opposition Win?
Politics
China's Urbancide in Tibet
Society
Taiwan's 'Little Burma'
Society
What’s It Like to Be a Woman in Bollywood?
Popular Stories
March 11, 2017
The Trouble With India's New Citizenship Bill
The bill, if passed, would help turn India into a 'Hindu homeland.'
Read Story
March 10, 2017
Pakistan's War on Atheism
Pakistan's anti-blasphemy crackdown is tightening the noose around nonbelievers.
Read Story
March 09, 2017
How Did China Lose South Korea?
How did China-South Korea relations fall so far so fast?
Read Story
China Power
A New World Order
March 22, 2017
Israel and China a 'Marriage Made in Heaven,' Says Netanyahu
Though security cooperation remains limited, the two sides are pushing forward on trade and technology.
Read Post
Does Ma Ying-jeou Know Why He Is Unpopular in Taiwan?
How China Lost the United States
US Secretary of State Tillerson Meets Chinese President Xi
China’s Quest for Cybersecurity Causes Headache for Foreign Companies
Can China and India Warm Up to Each Other?
More Posts
Flashpoints
Diplomacy by Other Means
March 23, 2017
What a 1925 Novel Can Teach Us About a Possible US-China War
The Great Pacific War
reveals the insights (and mistakes) that come with discussing a future war.
Read Post
Will a New Washington Naval Treaty Stop the South China Sea Arms Race?
China Expands Its Spying Against Taiwan
Vietnam Seeks South Korean Backing in the South China Sea
The Strengths and Weaknesses of Asia's 2 Major Defense Meetings
France to Dispatch
Mistral
Amphibious Assault Ship for Exercise in Western Pacific
More Posts
Asia Defense
Militaries of the Asia-Pacific
March 23, 2017
Philippines to Receive First 2 Aircraft From Japan
The first two of five TC-90s are expected to arrive next week.
Read Post
Japan Maritime Self Defense Force Commissions Second Helicopter Carrier
Taiwan to Build Own Attack Submarines Within Next 10 Years
India, Singapore Hold Army Exercise
Singapore Reveals Fourth New Warship
Japan Maritime Self Defense Force to Send Largest Carrier to the South China Sea
More Posts
ASEAN Beat
Insights Into Half a Billion
March 23, 2017
Should Cambodia Forget Forgiveness in its US Debt Controversy?
The country has few options to deal with the issue.
Read Post
What’s Next For Malaysia’s China Warships Deal?
What Did the Philippines’ Duterte Achieve During His Myanmar Trip?
Will the Environment Be the Vietnam Government’s Downfall?
The Key to Successful Elections in Timor-Leste: Professional Security Forces
What’s Next in Cambodia-North Korea Relations?
More Posts
The Pulse
Perspectives on South Asia
March 23, 2017
How India’s Demonetization Experiment Is Defying the Odds
While demonetization appears to be defying expectations, opinion remains divided over the speed and secrecy of the move.
Read Post
M.A. Sumanthiran on Sri Lankan Politics, Tamil Affairs, and Indo-Lankan Ties
A Counterproductive Afghan-Pakistan Border Closure
Why Would Pakistan Send Combat Troops to Saudi Arabia Now?
Modi Taps Firebrand Hindu Priest-Politician to Lead India's Most Populous State
India’s Cautious Engagement Is Costly for Afghanistan and the Region
More Posts
The Koreas
Divided Peninsula
March 21, 2017
What Tillerson's Asia Trip Means for North Korea
What the secretary of state's comments tell us about the Trump administration's North Korea policy.
Read Post
Park Geun-hye's Impeachment, Through the Eyes of a Korean Millennial
South Korea in Myanmar: Missing the Train to Naypyitaw?
The Future of South Korean Democracy
South Korean Constitutional Court Unanimously Upholds Park Geun-hye Impeachment
Why Samsung’s Lee Jae-yong Might Have Bribed Choi Soon-sil
More Posts
Tokyo Report
News from Japan
March 18, 2017
Exploring the Possibility of Defense Relations Between Iran and Japan
Military cooperation might seem like a faraway dream, but there are good reasons for both sides to explore options.
Read Post
Japan Self-Defense Force Withdraws From South Sudan
Far East Affairs: Mongolia and Japan
Abe’s Trump Challenge and Japan's Foreign Policy Choices
Pearl Harbor, Hiroshima, Iwo Jima: The Pacific War and US-Japan Reconciliation
Why Japan Can't Criticize Trump's Refugee Ban
More Posts
The Debate
Comment and Opinion
March 23, 2017
China’s Global Governance Challenge and Domestic Reforms
Rethinking the 'Kindleberger Trap' and its implications for the rise of China.
Read Post
Hey, China: Deploying THAAD Is South Korea’s Sovereign Right
Where Do North Koreans Fit Into the West's North Korea Policy?
Revisiting China’s Proposal For Parallel Talks With North Korea
Can Pakistan’s Health Star Turn the WHO Around?
How Does North Korea Survive?
More Posts
Crossroads Asia
The New Silk Road
March 22, 2017
Paul Manafort and the Kyrgyz Connection
Who says a corruption scandal is ever really over? An old Kyrgyz banking scandal shows up in Manafort's Ukraine dealings.
Read Post
The Central Asia-China Gas Pipeline Network: Line D(ead)
Uzbekistan Puts a Smile on an Economic Blow to Turkmenistan
Return to Tashkent: EBRD President in Uzbekistan to Discuss Revamping Cooperation
Kyrgyz President Takes on Media in Lawsuits
Iran Nuclear Deal Dilemmas Fueling Elections Standoff
More Posts
Trans-Pacific View
U.S. Policy on Asia
March 21, 2017
What Donald Trump’s Budget Means for Pakistan
Cuts to the U.S. State Department will also impact the U.S.-Pakistan alliance.
Read Post
Tillerson, China and the North Korea Question
Straight From the US State Department: The 'Pivot' to Asia Is Over
Regional Security Stakes In Southeast Asia
The Power of Ports: China’s Maritime March
3 Areas of Opportunity for the US-India Relationship
More Posts
Pacific Money
Economy and Business
March 21, 2017
What China’s PPP-Fueled Investment Boom Means for the Economy
Public-private partnership infrastructure spending will boost China’s economy but increase local government debt.
Read Post
Asia To Fed: Your Move First
Spanning the Economic Gap Between Asia and Latin America
Five Themes From China’s 2017 Economic Data So Far
After Impeachment Verdict, Korea’s ‘Fresh Start’ On Reform Begins Again
TPP Signatories to Meet in Chile to Explore the Future of the Agreement
More Posts
Asia Life
The Other Asia-Pacific
March 16, 2017
Asia’s Olympic Moment Has Its Roots in Cold War Politics
From China to Iran, Cold War politics shaped the participation of Asian countries in the Olympic Games.
Read Post
India and Pakistan's Cricket Diplomacy
Buyer Beware: US Market for Ancient Asian Art Still the Wild, Wild East
China’s ‘Great Wall’: Conquering the World With Cinema
Cleaning up Bangladesh’s Slums
Malaysia's Path Toward Sustainable Palm Oil
More Posts
Oceania
The South Pacific
March 17, 2017
In New Zealand, a River Becomes a 'Person'
New Zealand has granted a river considered sacred by the Maori people the same legal rights as a human being.
Read Post
If the US Loses Interest in Asia, What Are Australia's Options?
A Failed Faustian Pact: Western Australia’s Liberal Party Slips in Elections
Calling All Ambassadors: Australia Ponders a New Foreign Policy Path
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Finishes 4-Day Visit to Australia
No Development Without Peace: The Solomon Islands Example
More Posts
Podcasts
Asia Geopolitics
March 10, 2017
What Is Japan's Regional Threat Environment and Defense Strategy?
How does Japan see its threat environment and what are its defense priorities?
Listen
Ahok, the Jakarta Gubernatorial Race, and the Future of Indonesian Islam
Pukkuksong-2: Why North Korea's New Solid-Fuel Ballistic Missile Matters
What the Trump-Turnbull Call Tells Us About the Future of US Alliances in Asia
What's In Store For US-China Relations Under President Donald Trump?
South Asian Strategic Stability and Pakistan's Babur-3 Submarine-Launched Cruise Missile
More Podcasts
Videos
Asia on Video
March 17, 2017
What’s It Like to Be a Woman in Bollywood?
Shreya Narayan shares her experience as a Bollywood actress and what she see would like to see change.
View Video
A Conversation With Mongolia's Foreign Minister Tsend Munkh-Orgil
A Warning From Nepal’s ‘River Man’
Nepal's Child Brides
Journalist Namgay Zam Leaves Bhutan: Brain Drain in Action
Meet Nepal’s Buddhist ‘Rock Star Nun’
More Videos
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The Diplomat Brief
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From The Magazine
February 24, 2017
The Golden Urn: Buddhist Lamas and Chinese State Control
The historical roots and modern-day ramifications of Chinese government attempts to control Vajrayana Buddhism.
Preview Story
February 24, 2017
Governing Myanmar
The NLD government’s first year in office was difficult, and more challenges remain ahead.
Preview Story
February 24, 2017
The New ‘Normal’ in the East China Sea
China and Japan are engaged in a long-term test of wills over disputed waters and territory in the East China Sea.
Preview Story
February 24, 2017
South Korea at a Crossroads
As a president’s fate hangs in the balance, South Korea is in a state of pervasive political uncertainty.
Preview Story
More Previews
Latest Features
March 09, 2017
China's Most Important South China Sea Military Base
The Yulin Naval Base is shaping up to be the most strategically important military base in the South China Sea.
Read Story
March 15, 2017
Indonesia and the Islamic State Threat
How big a danger do returning fighters pose to Indonesia?
Read Story
March 15, 2017
Bringing Color to the Widows of Vrindavan
Breaking tradition, the widows of Vrindavan get lost in the wonderful colors of Holi.
Read Story
March 14, 2017
Cambodia, Catholicism, and Cauliflower
The ups and downs of life in an ethnically Vietnamese community in Cambodia.
Read Story
March 13, 2017
Is the North Korea Crisis a Gift for Malaysia’s Najib?
Despite the scandals, Malaysian prime minister has the moral high ground.
Read Story
March 08, 2017
Central Asia and Islamic State: The Russian Connection
Impoverished and oppressed, Central Asian migrants to Russia make perfect targets for extremist recruiters.
Read Story
March 10, 2017
Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the 'Good Taliban'
Pakistan believes Afghanistan is harboring terrorists that conduct cross-border attacks; Kabul says the same.
Read Story
March 09, 2017
What’s Next for Myanmar’s Rakhine State?
The government declared the clearance operation over last month – it’s not so simple.
Read Story
March 08, 2017
The Women in Afghanistan’s Moral Prisons
Sex before marriage, fleeing abuse, even being raped could land a woman in one of Afghanistan's moral prisons.
Read Story
More Features
Interview
March 17, 2017
Sebastian Rosato on the US-China 'Collision Course'
Why the Notre Dame professor believes the U.S. and China cannot avoid security competition.
Read Interview
More Interviews
The Diplomat's Quiz
March 21, 2017
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