Beijing’s Olympic Redux

Across Asia, people and governments are struggling.

Don’t let the calls for a boycott mislead – China is more integral to the world, including the world of sports, now than in 2008.

Tajikistan struggles with electricity rationing 30 years after independence, despite long-held dreams of becoming an energy export powerhouse.

The strong, armed resistance movement surprised the regime, but without greater international support, the situation will likely continue to deteriorate.

Can the international community continue to recognize Afghanistan without recognizing the Taliban?

“Even if not for the reasons initially expected, history is likely to judge the Phase One agreement as having played a fairly important role in U.S.-China trade relations over 2020-21.”

China’s economic punishment of Lithuania for its Taiwan outreach poses a difficult test for the European Union.

Xi’s push against corruption is more than just political expedience.

China’s foreign policy specialists are struggling to satisfactorily explain China’s rise or how it is likely to behave as a prominent global leader.

To become a global leader in standard-setting, China first needs to focus on domestic standards.

Draft revisions to China’s women’s rights law are a step in the right direction, but are likely to have limited impact.

18-39 year olds have emerged as the key swing voters in South Korean politics.

The most recent Japan-U.S. joint statement is ambitious and will require Japan to do some hard work at home.

Hint: Urging companies to hike wages won’t do the job.

Dismal trade figures for 2021 attest to the toll the North’s border closures are taking on its food supply.

North Korean hackers are likely to include new play-to-earn (P2E) crypto games within their illicit cyber-enabled financial schemes.

Sinhalese nationalists are already rallying against the agreement.

The document says all the right things, but is silent on who will take responsibility for implementing it.

Multi-phase assembly elections will give parties with deeper pockets like the BJP an undue advantage.

Ghor can be viewed as a microcosm of the layered complexity of Afghanistan.

The country’s long-running dispute with Pakistan has soured attempts to foster regionalism in South Asia.

The legalization push represents a bright light of rationality in Southeast Asia, where most nations have intensely punitive anti-drug regimes.

Sara Duterte thinks mandating military service will inspire patriotism, while her vice presidential opponent sees it as the mark of a dictator.

Heated maritime and territorial disputes conceal the severe damage being done beneath the waves.

Hun Sen was the first foreign leader to visit Myanmar since the military’s overthrow of the country’s democratically elected government.

The Indonesian rail operator KAI remains one of the country’s more well-run and capable state-owned companies.

It’s clear that the unrest in Kazakhstan has Turkmenistan spooked. Maybe closing the Gates of Hell will fix the problem.

30 years on from the dissolution of the USSR, Central Asian states are a case study in hedging and balancing between global superpowers.

Resolving discontent with Almaty’s local government will be an important step in Kazakhstan’s broader political reform efforts.

Tashkent reiterated its anti-CSTO sentiments and says it can independently control domestic issues if needed.

The Canadian mining firm confirmed that it is in discussions with Bishkek over the fate of the mine.

The movement’s new plan is worse than its 1999 proposal: more confusing and ultimately more dangerous.

The recent frenzy over tennis player Novak Djokovic has helped highlight the cruel detention conditions of refugees in Australia.

The Antarctic Treaty System is vulnerable. As a signatory, what can Australia do?

It is at the intersection of commercial and hard-security interests that Australia’s relationships with Japan and South Korea are finding their increasing health.

The United States’ struggle with COVID-19 has concerned partners in the Indo-Pacific region.

The study examined the legal case for China’s South China Sea claims and found it wanting.

The legislation calls for Washington to adopt a more robust and cohesive approach toward the country’s military junta.

The pandemic didn’t create unity; war wouldn’t either.

Far from causing friction, Russia’s intervention in Kazakhstan shows the durability of the Sino-Russian relationship.

The United States is not falling behind China in space – quite the contrary.

The local branch of al-Qaida failed to appeal to Indian Muslims in the past, but it hasn’t given up.

While symbols can create as much controversy as real objects, Modi’s recent changes in New Delhi are unlikely to cause a lasting divide.

China’s technical schools cannot fulfill the government’s target of training a skilled workforce without much-needed reform.

New legislation aims to clean up India’s hitherto unregulated assisted reproductive tech and surrogacy industry, but activists say the laws are deficient in many respects.