Asia & the Pacific

As Islamabad hosts peace talks, it’s also balancing a security pact with Riyadh.

Government paralysis is freezing budgets and wrecking public trust.

The official appointment of coup leader Min Aung Hlaing as president is likely to hasten a shift within the bloc.

Countries are lining up for military deals with Kyiv.

The war began without a strategy for victory. The peace has no formula, either.

China sees the potential for conflict as a tragedy, not an opportunity.

A key meeting with the Taiwanese opposition signals a different model of cross-strait stability.

The truce remains fragile, but Islamabad has offered to host peace talks.

Myanmar will be hit worst.

The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has left thousands of Indian sailors at risk.

As Islamabad positions itself as a mediator in the Iran war, New Delhi is sidelined.

Blocked fertilizer shipments plus La Niña spell trouble for farmers around the world.

The Iran war has confirmed how little Washington cares for its ally’s welfare.

Former officials were arrested over the weekend in connection with a crackdown on protesters last year.

As the world watches Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan clash.

After a string of political victories, the military regime might now grapple with fresh upheaval.

A Kremlin-backed fintech company is linked to massive trade in dual-use goods.

The Philippines has seen one of the world’s sharpest increase in petrol prices.

Migrants are seeing flights and jobs vanish.

Indigenous knowledge is helping conservationists manage delicate ecologies.

President Sadyr Japarov has stifled opposition. Now he’s going after his former right-hand man.

A new party takes office with a mandate—and high expectations from the Gen Z movement that propelled it to power.

Though it might seem unlikely, the role would make sense for Islamabad.

A strategic location coupled with a close U.S. partnership makes for an attractive military target.

Beijing fears a failed state on its border.

Even once the war ends, it will take time to get back to normal energy flows.

Winter Olympic success brings funding hopes to Southern Hemisphere athletes.

The strike on a Kabul hospital was the deadliest single incident in the conflict so far.

Sanae Takaichi committing to Taiwan’s defense would help keep the peace.

The bloc isn’t a geopolitical alliance, and it shouldn’t be expected to function like one.

Indonesia, for one, has a bloody history of fuel-related riots.

Presidents cannot ignore the long-term costs of dismissing the truth in pursuit of national security.

Modi’s government faces increasing domestic dissent when it comes to working with the Trump administration.

Plus, more international fiction releases in March.

Washington has yet to recognize that mobility is an essential part of regional security.

Irregular migration needs a compassionate and careful approach.

Spiraling natural gas prices leave both countries exposed.

The new chapter in defense planning seems like a direct response to Trump’s Golden Dome.

A poll of IR scholars reveals strong opposition to the conflict and fears about its risks.

Ahead of elections, calls to reinstate the king and bring an end to secularism have grown louder.

The T20 World Cup has underscored that New Delhi is a schoolyard bully.

Mark Carney’s tour of the Indo-Pacific this week is a rousing show of defiance, but it may have unintended effects.

Indonesia’s president offers to facilitate negotiations after U.S. and Israeli strikes.

War in Iran could pose instability risks as its neighbors to the east escalate their conflict.

In India, a new caste census risks making prejudice permanent.

The Indian leader has made a strategic bet on the bilateral relationship.

Beijing is less likely to risk an invasion while Trump is facilitating its pressure campaign against Taipei.

New Delhi wants to play the role of a bridging power between the West and the rest.

Washington is trying to build up Armenia and Azerbaijan as regional allies.

With a generational shift in power possible, the old guard is fighting back.

The country’s military is becoming desperate for troops—and may eventually force women to serve.

The trial has already become a domestic political football.

The life sentence for Yoon Suk-yeol’s coup attempt should be a model for other states.

The Taliban government can’t protect Chinese miners from local hostility.

“Kokuho” offers an artful meditation on a country in flux.

Kurt Campbell: “The president clearly wants short-term deals.”

Brazil’s president hopes to cooperate on AI, critical minerals, and more.

To understand Trump’s approach to the world, look at the leaders he resembles.

The AI models are American, but the food that feeds the beast is being enriched in India.

Some other Southeast Asian countries are steering clear.

Trump’s approach has done damage to bilateral ties that won’t so easily be repaired.

An “America First” export strategy complicates efforts to obtain U.S.-made weapons.

Climate stress is rewriting the region’s rules of water sharing.

‘No Other Choice’ shows a man’s world collapsing—with deadly results.

From Britain to Japan, “keep calm and carry on” is getting buried.

The first vote since Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s ouster favors a dynastic party but could see the Islamists rise.

Parties failed to meet a modest commitment to field more female candidates, despite the leading role of women in the 2024 protest movement.

The island’s deputy foreign minister on Trump, defense, and why he thinks countries shouldn’t trust China.

An epochal win may yet mask a deeper desire for reform in the electorate.

From South Korea to Canada, allies are hedging their bets.

Despite a landslide victory, questions remain over the prime minister’s popularity and her fiscal plans.

Plus, more international fiction releases in February.

The recent border crisis with Cambodia has reignited pro-military sentiment.

By mishandling the T20 World Cup, India is ruining its 2036 Olympic dream.

The new U.S. ambassador in New Delhi may have played an instrumental role in this week’s trade agreement.

Why the ASEAN chair is pushing for a code of conduct with China.

A shared worldview, some personal rapport, and not being a U.S. ally makes all the difference.

Countries with a critical niche may be best primed to endure great-power competition.

Three factors shape when protests restrain democratic erosion—and when they don’t.

Trump announced the deal in a social media post on Monday.

Sycophancy and ideology have replaced realistic assessments of dangers.

The trade pact may be getting all the attention, but the pair also inked a landmark defense agreement.

The Trump administration has done little as China threatens U.S. allies.

A major border feud with Afghanistan should force Islamabad to reevaluate its latent ties with Central Asia.

He has boosted the private sector and fired tens of thousands of civil servants.

An infrastructure project between Afghanistan, Iran, and India gets caught in Trump’s crosshairs—again.

Beijing’s response to the latest agreement was predictably spiky.

Manila takes over the ASEAN chair in what could be a make-or-break year for the bloc.

Beijing’s saber-rattling conceals the real possibility of a loss.

Trump has shown how democracy can be neutralized without being destroyed.

A new annual strategy document would streamline spending and signal seriousness to allies.

How Islamabad is capitalizing on the current geopolitical moment.

How the Islamic Republic’s repressive tactics stack up against regimes around the world.

Further restrictions would almost certainly help the military as it consolidates power.

Washington’s outreach to Myanmar’s junta is shortsighted.

Plus, more international fiction releases in January.

How Beijing’s gamble could backfire.

With U.S. extended deterrence under strain, managing Seoul’s nuclear hedging may be safer than trying to stop it.

Cricket drama underscores the depth of the crisis, but Dhaka’s upcoming election offers a shot at a reset.

The region is no stranger to dealmaking, but Washington’s selfish ends are self-damaging.