The Asia-Pacific in 2019: What to Expect
Table of Contents
The “normalization of relations” meets the “new normal.”
A remarkable year of historic diplomacy has reduced tensions on the Korean Peninsula, but denuclearization remains a distant destination.
Ibu Solih and the democrats won a shock victory in the fall elections. But the Maldives’ past suggests there are more twists and turns to come.
There are tantalizing signs that Xi Jinping may be rethinking his heavy-handed approach to the economy. But don’t expect too much.
Tsai Ing-wen has struggled to address the issue successfully, but the rise of Han Kuo-yu in Taiwan’s 2018 midterm elections could provide an alternative solution.
To understand the furor over Meng Wanzhou’s arrest, you have to understand what Huawei means in China, and why.
Once again, China is achieving a global first in space – and right on schedule.
Chinese information warfare is often assumed to be externally focused, but it is being used domestically as well.
South Korea’s exposure to a trade war between the United States and China is greater than most.
The new defense plan is an admirable effort to upgrade Japan’s defense for the 21st century, but it will take great political will to see it through.
Small concessions are psychologically transforming the North-South relationship.
A series of rail accidents in South Korea may dampen enthusiasm for spending money on the North’s rail system.
The Abe administration is seizing the foreign policy initiative from Japan’s bureaucracy.
What does the Kartarpur Corridor between India and Pakistan suggest about the direction of bilateral ties under Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan?
For Afghanistan, the Kabul River is far more than a tool of coercive diplomacy against Pakistan.
Does Pakistan continue to detain POWs from the war? The families think so.
Five months on, the justice for Nirmala campaign is still going strong – but still unheard by the government.
Afghans remain divided on the possibility of peace, and strongly fearful of the Taliban.
Despite the inroads Moscow has made in recent years, formidable challenges remain.
Singapore’s authorities remain sensitive to criticism.
Hanoi’s conservative leaders are increasingly haunted by Ho Chi Minh’s legacy.
Thailand’s elections, slated for February 2019, look like they will actually materialize. But can they rescue its troubled democracy?
There are symbolic links between Indonesia and Malaysia’s rising populism.
Each time Askarov’s case is raised, it’s a reminder of Kyrgyzstan’s unease in tackling ethnic tensions.
Gender violence is a pervasive problem in Kyrgyzstan. A local NGO is trying to address it by working with men.
Successful realization of the opportunities opened by the deal will depend on political will among the Caspian littoral states.
Efforts in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan to garner attention on the Xinjiang camps have grown, but still to little effect.
U.S. coercive pressure on Iran works against Uzbekistan’s regional interests and the stability of Afghanistan.
Wellington looks likely to pursue a policy similar to that of Canada, which treats weed much like alcohol – legal, but regulated.
The ruling party is already paying the price for its party room coup this summer.
Australia’s foreign policy may be moving into a phase where it is no longer mostly above partisan politics.
It’s far from clear that the United States needs the kind of weapons the treaty banned to handle China.
Trump’s economic war against China is deeply corrosive for U.S. influence in bodies like the G-20.
Whoever rules in 5G technology rules the world – or so Beijing and Washington seem to believe.
While China and Russia are not formal allies, the deepening of military relations between the two countries is real.
The F-35 has always been seen as just an interim solution by Japanese defense planners.
Despite increasing cooperation, India has not been able to seal major weapons sales to Vietnam.
A Chinese film showcases the increasing might of the People’s Liberation Army Navy.
The debate on serving eggs in public schools is connected to the main challenges of Indian education.
Rapper San E steps into the middle of South Korea’s growing women’s rights movement with anti-feminist tracks.
One man’s experience explaining the search for love in China.