2025: What to Expect
Table of Contents
The pandemic left an indelible but mixed imprint on everything from patterns of socio-economic development to China’s state apparatus and foreign relations.
Malaysia’s year as ASEAN chair arrives at a pivotal moment to confront unprecedented challenges facing the bloc.
Economically, Beijing had little stake in Syria, but its security interests could be impacted.
The dismissal of senior commanders creates a sense of “chaos and disarray,” says a leading defense expert.
A PLA command structure in disarray and a hawkish Trump Cabinet could lead to disastrous miscalculation over Taiwan.
Although China continues to employ military force as a primary tool for deterring Taiwan, the recent series of military activities differs significantly from previous operations.
Beijing has thus far taken a more hands-off approach to AI development than might be expected. But as AI’s power becomes clearer, that could soon change.
Yoon reached the decision to declare martial law not because of some shrewd politicking but because of impaired cognitive abilities.
While the U.S. and Europe are seeing aid fatigue set in, Japan remains committed to assisting Ukraine. Will North Korea’s involvement change that calculus?
South Korea’s diplomatic and security relations with Japan experienced a dramatic turnaround under Yoon. Tokyo fears that progress won’t last under a new president.
The North Korean regime has managed to stay afloat, but its survival strategy, heavily depending on labor extraction and repression, only further distorted the economy.
As regional tensions escalate, particularly concerning the Taiwan Strait, discussions of Okinawa often fall prey to reductionist narratives.
Unlike in 1999, when it did not have contacts in the Taliban regime, today India is engaging top Taliban officials.
The military establishment’s interference in the civilian sphere has distracted it from its core responsibility of securing the borders and maintaining internal security.
Meanwhile, BJP governments at the center and state level are doing little to halt the violence.
Disinformation, misinformation, and structured social media propaganda have posed significant challenges for Dr. Muhammad Yunus’ interim government in Bangladesh.
The rise of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) in Syria poses a direct ideological and strategic challenge to the Taliban’s hardline rule in Afghanistan.
The country’s authorities have used the law to ensure that online discussions do not stray beyond tightly circumscribed boundaries.
Amid a growing humanitarian crisis, the personal accounts of two Rohingya women illuminate the profound struggles faced by those escaping the turmoil in Rakhine.
In negotiating the return of the Australian drug convicts, Jakarta and Canberra displayed tact and sensitivity.
Authorities question Chhoeung Chheung’s credentials amid outcry.
The failure of the Pheu Thai-led government to communicate with the public uniformly and effectively has created openings for its opponents.
With among the world’s largest gas reserves, Turkmenistan remains perpetually desperate for new customers and pipelines.
When he was extradited to Kyrgyzstan earlier this year, Matraimov was alleged to be connected to an opaque assassination plot. He just got off with a fine for hooliganism.
The $4.8 billion Yoshlik expansion project aims to vastly expand Uzbekistan’s copper output, but the Western sanctioning of Russian banks financing the project put the enterprise at risk.
Dushanbe’s door-to-door policy is part of an almost decade-long campaign to counter radicalization and religious extremism in the country. Is it effective?
Central Asia’s evolving geopolitical role is not just about balancing external actors; it is about leveraging these partnerships to pursue their own national and elite interests.
To most Australians there is nothing reasonable about expelling people from a football match for raising their country’s flag. But that’s what happened in Geelong last month.
Across much of the Pacific, votes of no confidence have become a frequently deployed, and increasingly disruptive, tactic.
Trump’s reelection constitutes crisis time for the Australia-U.K.-U.K. security pact.
Beijing’s politically focused aid gives the United States a unique opportunity, as it maps where Beijing’s interests are deeply sown or where China is trying to expand its influence.
With a pledge of $100 billion in investment, Softbank founder Masayoshi Son will undoubtedly be a key player in forging relations between Japan and the United States moving forward.
Drawing lessons from the back-channel diplomacy of his first term, Trump may well reengage North Korea through secret negotiations.
Trump’s second administration includes representatives of all three foreign policy camps in the Republican Party. What does that mean for China policy?
Modifications to the two Izumo-class helicopter carriers – JS Izumo and JS Kaga – are underway, resulting in a period where both will be unavailable to the JMSDF.
Cyber-scam compound operators in Cambodia are going to extraordinary lengths to create fake images of Indian police stations in order to obtain credit card numbers.
The U.S. defense industry could experience short-term mineral shortages and higher prices – not to mention the impact on the U.S. economy more broadly.
Overwarning and miscommunication risk Washington’s ability to detect – and convince Taiwanese about – real threats in the Taiwan Strait.
Very often, Indian politicians strive to solve problems for women, rather than allowing women to solve problems themselves.
The recent deaths of six foreign tourists in Laos has cast a light on a long-standing problem in Southeast Asia.
Organized crime and online scamming operations have tainted the image of Chinese migrants, who have been a part of Cambodian society for centuries.
