[{"_1":2,"_295":-5,"_296":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_16":17,"_293":294},"root",{"_5":6,"_14":15},"fb",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":12,"_13":8},"apiKey","AIzaSyAdxqOaB63feHHqSm_nZCKsSHpSAcxkct8","authDomain","thediplomat.firebaseapp.com","projectId","firebase-thediplomat","appId","ga",true,"routes/$issue",{"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":23},"slug","2022-08","path","/2022-08","issue",{"_24":25,"_26":27,"_28":29,"_30":31,"_32":33,"_34":35,"_36":37,"_38":39,"_40":41,"_42":43},"eid","-N7RPmw6aKOjdu2mxQrg","title","Funding Myanmar’s Spring Revolution","description","Welcome to the August 2022 issue of The Diplomat. This month, our cover story investigates how Myanmar’s shadow government, the National Unity Government, is funding its bid to oust the junta. We also look at the impact of climate change on Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City and Jakarta; visit Kashmir three years after its special status was revoked, and remember Solomon Islands’ role in World War II, with an eye toward today’s geostrategic calculus. And, of course, we offer a range of reporting, analysis, and opinion from across the region.","masthead","

\n Publisher\n Diplomat Media, Inc.
\n 3033 Wilson Blvd
\n Suite 700
\n Arlington, VA 22201
\n United States of America\n

\n Publisher\n James Pach\n

\n Editor-in-Chief\n Shannon Tiezzi\n

\n Managing Editor\n Catherine Putz\n

\n Southeast Asia Editor\n Sebastian Strangio\n

\n South Asia Editor\n Sudha Ramachandran\n

\n Contributing Editors\nKavita Chowdhury
\nNiha Dagia
\nBonnie Girard
\nJames Guild
\nUmida Hashimova
\nBrian Hioe
\nSara Hsu
\nLuke Hunt
\nUmair Jamal
\nMercy A. Kuo
\nRathindra Kuruwita
\nJongsoo Lee
\nJoshua Mcdonald
\nShafi Md Mostofa
\nPatricia O’Brien
\nMina Pollmann
\nMong Palatino
\nJacob Parakilas
\nSantosh Sharma Poudel
\nRajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan
\nTita Sanglee
\nMitch Shin
\nThisanka Siripala
\nPaolo Sorbello
\nTroy Stangarone
\nKosuke Takahashi
\nYuki Tatsumi
\nColleen Wood
\nGrant Wyeth\n

\n Design & Code\n Stefan Yanku\n

","number",93,"date","August 2022","month",8,"year",2022,"status","rdy","toc",[44,60,67,84,93,118,143,168,193,217,238,255,276],{"_24":45,"_46":47,"_26":48,"_49":50},"LTR","priority",0,"Letter","pages",[51],{"_24":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_46":47,"_40":41,"_26":59},"-N7RPocFbPXKzFd-3Xpx","lead","

Even in Asia’s flashpoints, daily life continues on.

","model","story","preview",1,"Letter From the Editors",{"_24":61,"_46":58,"_26":62,"_49":63},"CVRS","Cover Story",[64],{"_24":65,"_53":66,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_46":47,"_40":41,"_26":27},"-N7RPocI4QaLVf_bfH5o","

War isn’t cheap. How has the National Unity Government funded itself – and its military efforts?

",{"_24":68,"_46":69,"_26":70,"_49":71},"LDS",2,"Leads",[72,76,80],{"_24":73,"_53":74,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_46":47,"_40":41,"_26":75},"-N7RPocJdtdWDUYZZg6x","

The coastal cities of Bangkok, Jakarta, and Ho Chi Minh City battle a common existential threat.

","Southeast Asia’s Sinking Megacities",{"_24":77,"_53":78,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_46":58,"_40":41,"_26":79},"-N7RPocJdtdWDUYZZg6y","

Three years after the Modi government struck down Kashmir’s special status, the Valley has only grown more volatile.

","Undelivered Promises: Life in Kashmir After Article 370",{"_24":81,"_53":82,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_46":69,"_40":41,"_26":83},"-N7RPocKlNEjtqd00wMx","

Eighty years after the Guadalcanal Campaign, Solomon Islands has once again drawn U.S. strategic interest.

","The Guadalcanal Campaign: Then and Now",{"_24":85,"_46":86,"_26":87,"_49":88},"INT",3,"Interview",[89],{"_24":90,"_53":91,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_46":47,"_40":41,"_26":92},"-N7RPocKlNEjtqd00wMy","

A year after the Taliban retook Afghanistan, economic collapse, human rights abuses, and terrorist threats loom large.

","Justine Fleischner of Afghan Peace Watch",{"_24":94,"_46":95,"_26":96,"_49":97},"CHN",4,"China",[98,102,106,110,114],{"_24":99,"_53":100,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_46":47,"_40":41,"_26":101},"-N7RPocKlNEjtqd00wMz","

Abe Shinzo’s impact on China-Japan relations will continue long after his untimely death.

","Abe and China: Beyond Yasukuni",{"_24":103,"_53":104,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_46":58,"_40":41,"_26":105},"-N7RPocL0eQiNRcOh5fX","

There is a clear political consensus behind the UFLPA, but the implementation shows just how dependent U.S. businesses are on China.

","Agreement in Principle, Pushback in Practice: The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act",{"_24":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":47,"_46":69,"_40":41,"_26":109},"-N7RPocL0eQiNRcOh5fY","

CCP and KMT negotiators sought to formulate a framework to manage the cross-strait relationship within what they recognized to be an “irresolvable conflict.”

","The 1992 Consensus: Why It Worked and Why It Fell Apart",{"_24":111,"_53":112,"_55":56,"_57":47,"_46":86,"_40":41,"_26":113},"-N7RPocMHORAsHuMGA6S","

The CCP has tacitly encouraged cyber bullying of Chinese feminists to prevent the movement from gaining ground.

","Chinese Feminists Caught Between a Rock and the Party",{"_24":115,"_53":116,"_55":56,"_57":47,"_46":95,"_40":41,"_26":117},"-N7RPocMHORAsHuMGA6T","

The National People’s Congress in Beijing may have given the orders, but officials in Hong Kong are also responsible for the decline in Hong Kong’s judicial and legal systems.

","The Hong Kong Government and the Rule of Law",{"_24":119,"_46":120,"_26":121,"_49":122},"NEA",5,"Northeast Asia",[123,127,131,135,139],{"_24":124,"_53":125,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_46":47,"_40":41,"_26":126},"-N7RPocMHORAsHuMGA6U","

In the wake of a shocking assassination, the LDP won a strong mandate in upper house elections. Where will the party, and Japan, go from here?

","Japan Moves Into the Post-Abe Era",{"_24":128,"_53":129,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_46":58,"_40":41,"_26":130},"-N7RPocNFRc_lZ0hLSEH","

Both doubts and optimism around the South Korea-U.S. alliance reveal a short-sightedness that is harmful to global stability.

","What Makes South Korea a Good Ally?",{"_24":132,"_53":133,"_55":56,"_57":47,"_46":69,"_40":41,"_26":134},"-N7RPocNFRc_lZ0hLSEI","

From the Indo-Pacific to the Quad, Abe spearheaded the strategic concepts shaping the region today.

","With Abe’s Assassination, the Indo-Pacific Lost Its Foremost Flag-Bearer",{"_24":136,"_53":137,"_55":56,"_57":47,"_46":86,"_40":41,"_26":138},"-N7RPocNFRc_lZ0hLSEJ","

An upswing in negative government messaging may represent the greater threat to building peace between North and South Korea.

","Propaganda Takes a Worrying Turn on the Korean Peninsula",{"_24":140,"_53":141,"_55":56,"_57":47,"_46":95,"_40":41,"_26":142},"-N7RPocOyxDwLWNc80Oa","

With a new consultative body to address forced labor issues, the Yoon administration is seeking to prevent the issues that scuttled the 2015 “comfort women” agreement.

","South Korea Takes a Step in Efforts to Repair Relations With Japan",{"_24":144,"_46":145,"_26":146,"_49":147},"SOA",6,"South Asia",[148,152,156,160,164],{"_24":149,"_53":150,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_46":47,"_40":41,"_26":151},"-N7RPocOyxDwLWNc80Ob","

Wickremesinghe’s election as president signals that the discredited Rajapaksas retain their firm grip on power in Sri Lanka.

","Ranil Wickremesinghe: The Rajapaksas’ Puppet on a String",{"_24":153,"_53":154,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_46":58,"_40":41,"_26":155},"-N7RPocOyxDwLWNc80Oc","

Policymakers say that the military today is as unpopular as it was in 1971, when East Pakistan broke away.

","Imran Khan’s Campaign Sullies Image of Pakistan’s Military",{"_24":157,"_53":158,"_55":56,"_57":47,"_46":69,"_40":41,"_26":159},"-N7RPocP1tfxf-o7ifcB","

Notwithstanding the local context of the beheading, it is a continuation of the broader global trend of targeted assassination over blasphemy charges.

","With Beheading of Hindu ‘Blasphemer’ in India, a Red Line Is Crossed",{"_24":161,"_53":162,"_55":56,"_57":47,"_46":86,"_40":41,"_26":163},"-N7RPocP1tfxf-o7ifcC","

Sikhs and Hindus have lived in Afghanistan for generations, but the end of that era is near.

","Taliban 2.0: The End Game for Afghan Sikhs and Hindus?",{"_24":165,"_53":166,"_55":56,"_57":47,"_46":95,"_40":41,"_26":167},"-N7RPocQcuL0gGJbxWv7","

Social stigma attached to abortion forces women especially the unmarried, to turn to unsafe abortions, especially pills prescribed by the local chemist.

","Abortion Is Legal in India, But Social Stigma Hampers Access",{"_24":169,"_46":170,"_26":171,"_49":172},"SEA",7,"Southeast Asia",[173,177,181,185,189],{"_24":174,"_53":175,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_46":47,"_40":41,"_26":176},"-N7RPocQcuL0gGJbxWv8","

The legacies of colonialism continue to shape present-day Southeast Asia.

","Malaysia and the Last Sultan of Sulu",{"_24":178,"_53":179,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_46":58,"_40":41,"_26":180},"-N7RPocQcuL0gGJbxWv9","

The new president has avoided his predecessor’s unpopular public rapprochement with Beijing, but he’s also keeping China close.

","How Will Marcos Approach China-Philippines Relations?",{"_24":182,"_53":183,"_55":56,"_57":47,"_46":69,"_40":41,"_26":184},"-N7RPocRHEfeSPruAzhM","

Given the country’s social conservatism and a shifting Overton window, it is more likely now than ever that the Vietnamese government will take a more restrictive stance on abortion.

","What the Roe Reversal Means for Abortion Rights in Vietnam",{"_24":186,"_53":187,"_55":56,"_57":47,"_46":86,"_40":41,"_26":188},"-N7RPocRHEfeSPruAzhN","

The challenge of promoting the use of the riel is not just one of monetary policy. It also touches on questions of Cambodian national identity.

","De-Dollarization and the Importance of Public Sentiment in Cambodia",{"_24":190,"_53":191,"_55":56,"_57":47,"_46":95,"_40":41,"_26":192},"-N7RPocRHEfeSPruAzhO","

The United States failed to match Beijing’s intense, coordinated diplomacy across Southeast Asia during the COVID-19 crisis.

","China Won Over Southeast Asia During the Pandemic",{"_24":194,"_46":37,"_26":195,"_49":196},"CEA","Central Asia",[197,201,205,209,213],{"_24":198,"_53":199,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_46":47,"_40":41,"_26":200},"-N7RPocS3iAyTuu-3cjq","

Regional leaders continue to pin blame for domestic unrest on unnamed foreign forces.

","Who Are Central Asia’s Real Enemies?",{"_24":202,"_53":203,"_55":56,"_57":47,"_46":58,"_40":41,"_26":204},"-N7RPocS3iAyTuu-3cjr","

Most of Kazakhstan’s oil exports go through the Caspian Pipeline Consortium, which has been targeted by Russian courts.

","Kazakhstan Oil Exporters Relieved as Russian Court Lifts Ban on Pipeline",{"_24":206,"_53":207,"_55":56,"_57":47,"_46":69,"_40":41,"_26":208},"-N7RPocS3iAyTuu-3cjs","

Abzhan admits a role in the events that led to his arrest, but suggests the situation was a set-up by the Kazakh authorities.

","From Prison, Kazakh Journalist Makhambet Abzhan Explains His Case",{"_24":210,"_53":211,"_55":56,"_57":47,"_46":86,"_40":41,"_26":212},"-N7RPocTOh4TryQxgvCo","

Although Islam has been a part of Turkmen culture for centuries, public practice of Islam was largely suppressed during the Soviet Union and in the early independence era, too.

","The Revival of Islam in Turkmenistan",{"_24":214,"_53":215,"_55":56,"_57":47,"_46":95,"_40":41,"_26":216},"-N7RPocTOh4TryQxgvCp","

In listing an Uzbekistan-based company, the U.S. State Department has a warning: “If you do business with sanctioned entities or individuals, you risk exposure to sanctions.”

","Uzbek Company Falls Afoul of Russia Sanctions",{"_24":218,"_46":219,"_26":220,"_49":221},"OCE",9,"Oceania",[222,226,230,234],{"_24":223,"_53":224,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_46":47,"_40":41,"_26":225},"-N7RPocTOh4TryQxgvCq","

With two visits to Australia in quick succession, Ardern has demonstrated that she is serious about improving New Zealand’s relationship with Australia.

","Australia-New Zealand: Close Ties Still Require Work",{"_24":227,"_53":228,"_55":56,"_57":47,"_46":58,"_40":41,"_26":229},"-N7RPocUyLsQ-Bhh2w5J","

Despite a deal between the PIF and other Micronesian states, Kiribati declared it still intends to withdraw from the premier regional forum.

","Exit Kiribati? The Pacific Islands Forum Faces Further Strife",{"_24":231,"_53":232,"_55":56,"_57":47,"_46":69,"_40":41,"_26":233},"-N7RPocUyLsQ-Bhh2w5K","

A U.S. return to the Pacific could yield great benefit, but that return has to be done right, and it should start with an upscaling of America’s Pacific literacy.

","Can the US Open a ‘New Chapter’ With the Pacific?",{"_24":235,"_53":236,"_55":56,"_57":47,"_46":86,"_40":41,"_26":237},"-N7RPocUyLsQ-Bhh2w5L","

What explains Queensland’s unique – and divergent – political choices at the state and federal levels?

","Queensland: A Political Conundrum",{"_24":239,"_46":240,"_26":241,"_49":242},"USA",10,"US in Asia",[243,247,251],{"_24":244,"_53":245,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_46":47,"_40":41,"_26":246},"-N7RPocV1kmoJ94mqwwA","

Abe had advocated for Japan to be willing to take on a more proactive role in promoting regional security and economic stability. That is in line with what Washington needs.

","US Hopes for a Post-Abe Japan",{"_24":248,"_53":249,"_55":56,"_57":47,"_46":58,"_40":41,"_26":250},"-N7RPocV1kmoJ94mqwwB","

Is it possible – or advisable – to remake global value chains in order to boost U.S. national security?

","Biden’s Uphill Battle to Restructure the Global Semiconductor Sector",{"_24":252,"_53":253,"_55":56,"_57":47,"_46":69,"_40":41,"_26":254},"-N7RPocV1kmoJ94mqwwC","

Biden’s trip sent the wrong signals to Indo-Pacific observers on a number of fronts.

","Washington’s Middle East Policy Contradicts Its China Policy",{"_24":256,"_46":257,"_26":258,"_49":259},"SCR",11,"Security",[260,264,268,272],{"_24":261,"_53":262,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_46":47,"_40":41,"_26":263},"-N7RPocWF_pDlJEM4fsd","

Japan’s latest defense white paper expresses grave concern about Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, as well as the usual worries about China and North Korea.

","Japan Now Sees Russia as a Serious Security Threat",{"_24":265,"_53":266,"_55":56,"_57":47,"_46":58,"_40":41,"_26":267},"-N7RPocXno5GegZwaR0J","

The ongoing conflict in Ukraine offers several vital lessons for South Korea-U.S. alliance in its efforts to deter North Korea.

","3 Lessons from the Russia-Ukraine War for the South Korea-US Alliance",{"_24":269,"_53":270,"_55":56,"_57":47,"_46":69,"_40":41,"_26":271},"-N7RPocXno5GegZwaR0K","

From 1984 to the present day, North Korea’s offensive cyber program has evolved considerably.

","Mapping Major Milestones in the Evolution of North Korea’s Cyber Program",{"_24":273,"_53":274,"_55":56,"_57":47,"_46":86,"_40":41,"_26":275},"-N7RPocXno5GegZwaR0L","

There is no denial that the Indian military requires structural reforms, but can the Agnipath scheme overcome its rough introduction?

","India’s Agnipath Scheme: Solution or Time Bomb?",{"_24":277,"_46":278,"_26":279,"_49":280},"ASL",12,"Asia Life",[281,285,289],{"_24":282,"_53":283,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_46":47,"_40":41,"_26":284},"-N7RPocYJubPfOPwl0U5","

The power of the president of India is symbolic – metaphorically as well as literally.

","The Silent Face of Diversity: Indian Presidents and the Politics of Symbols",{"_24":286,"_53":287,"_55":56,"_57":47,"_46":58,"_40":41,"_26":288},"-N7RPocYJubPfOPwl0U6","

Mongolia’s traditional nomadic culture is vanishing in many ways, but it is preserved and passed down through wrestling.

","Mongolia: Wrestling With Modernization",{"_24":290,"_53":291,"_55":56,"_57":47,"_46":69,"_40":41,"_26":292},"-N7RPocYJubPfOPwl0U7","

The rapid growth of tourism to the Angkor temple complex has put strains on the town’s transport capacity. Cycling infrastructure could offer a solution.

","The Fast-Track to Tackling Siem Reap’s Gridlock","routes/$issue.cover",{"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":23},"actionData","errors"]