Letter from the Editors

Dear Readers,

Welcome to the February 2017 issue of The Diplomat magazine.

We’re only a few weeks removed from the swearing-in of President Donald Trump in the United States, but you’ll find that uncertainty stemming from that transition is a theme throughout this issue. Asian governments, scholars, and business leaders are all wondering what the new administration’s priorities will be, and how its actions will impact the Asia-Pacific region. To help readers keep track of these developments, we’re introducing a new section to the magazine: The U.S. in Asia. We’ll be documenting the Trump administration’s Asia policy, as well as responses from the region, in this section.

As always, our cover and leads for this month reflect the diversity of security, political, and social trends in the Asia-Pacific, all of which will impact or be impacted by new leadership in the United States to some extent.

On the cover, Andrew Erickson, Professor of Strategy in the U.S. Naval War College’s China Maritime Studies Institute, outlines the past and future of China’s naval modernization program. China’s stunning naval advances were shepherded by PLAN chief Admiral Wu Shengli. Now, after an unprecedented 10-plus years as the Navy’s head, Wu has been replaced by Lieutenant Admiral Shen Jinlong, ushering in a new generation for China’s Navy. Erickson explores the implications for the PLAN moving forward.

Our first lead takes a look at one of the most contentious political events of February 2017: the upcoming gubernatorial elections in Jakarta, Indonesia. James Bean, a Ph.D. candidate with Australian National University’s College of Asia and the Pacific, outlines how long-standing sentiments of anti-communism, Islamism, and racial prejudice have bubbled to the surface as a political force, aimed squarely at current Governor Ahok, a Chinese-Indonesian Christian.

Also in the realm of politics, this January marked two years in power for the Maithripala Sirisena administration in Sri Lanka, which came into office riding a wave of optimism for reforms. But as Alan Keenan, the International Crisis Group’s Sri Lanka Project Director, outlines in his article, despite early progress many believe that time has all but run out for truly meaningful reforms and transitional justice.

Finally, journalists Rita Mahendru and Maria de la Guardia take us to the underground LGBT scene in Kabul, where gay and transgender Afghans detail their hopes and fears. Homosexual identity remains a fraught subject in Afghanistan, thanks to conservative cultural expectations about sexuality, religious proscriptions, and legal barriers; though it is rarely used, technically the death penalty is a permissible punishment for homosexual activity. In the article, three young Afghans share their stories of everyday discrimination.

Each story – China’s naval build-up, protests in Jakarta, politics in Sri Lanka, and LGBT rights in Afghanistan, plus the many other exclusive articles in this issue – addresses one small part of the rich tapestry that is the modern Asia-Pacific. We hope readers come away from this issue, and every reading of The Diplomat, with a deeper understanding of what makes Asia tick.

Sincerely,
The Editors