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Diplomacy & Crisis News

Why China Weaponized the Thucydides Trap

TheDiplomat - Fri, 05/06/2026 - 14:50
It is no surprise that Beijing is now embracing this construct, hoping to shift the responsibility for stability and avoiding escalation onto Washington.

Bhutan’s Development Model Faces Its Hardest Test

TheDiplomat - Fri, 05/06/2026 - 14:37
Today, Bhutan’s development model faces pressures that may overwhelm the deliberate gradualism that has long defined its approach.

Xi Jinping to Visit North Korea Amid Deepening Three-Way Alliance

TheDiplomat - Fri, 05/06/2026 - 14:13
For the first time in seven years, Chinese leader Xi Jinping will visit Pyongyang on June 8 – closely following his separate summits with the U.S. and Russian presidents.

Kyrgyzstan Elected to UN Security Council For First Time In Country’s History

TheDiplomat - Fri, 05/06/2026 - 13:58
Kyrgyzstan, the second Central Asian country ever to be elected as a non-permanent member of the UNSC, was propelled to victory on the back of a wave of diplomatic support from its neighbors, Turkiye, and Muslim states.

Myanmar’s Military Is Turning to Russia to Revive Its Stalled Cyber Dream

TheDiplomat - Fri, 05/06/2026 - 07:26
Could the stalled Yatarnapon Cyber City project be set for an injection of Russian assistance?

US Forced Labor Ruling Does Not Reflect Vietnam’s Efforts, Govt Says

TheDiplomat - Fri, 05/06/2026 - 06:59
Hanoi is now the subject of three separate U.S. trade probes, which will likely introduce new areas of tension into ongoing trade talks.

Fixing AI in Conflict

TheDiplomat - Fri, 05/06/2026 - 06:27
We already have the tools.

How China Misperceives Itself

Foreign Affairs - Fri, 05/06/2026 - 06:00
Beijing’s blind spots hinder real reform.

Can the UAE Go It Alone?

Foreign Affairs - Fri, 05/06/2026 - 06:00
A risky quest for strategic autonomy in a war-torn Middle East.

Iran and the Hidden Cost of Wartime Access

Foreign Affairs - Fri, 05/06/2026 - 06:00
Overseas bases make the U.S. military dominant—and more likely to blunder into war.

How Myanmar Fits Into India’s Troubled Neighborhood Policy

TheDiplomat - Fri, 05/06/2026 - 05:23
Min Aung Hlaing’s visit to India may help Delhi seal deals with the military-backed government. But it has angered pro-democracy forces in Myanmar.

How Government Inaction Turned Sumatra’s Rains Into a National Catastrophe

TheDiplomat - Fri, 05/06/2026 - 02:19
The Indonesian political system has enabled deforestation through weak oversight, opaque licensing, and regulations designed to favor extractive industries.

Indonesia’s Free Meal Program to Target ‘Efficiency’ After Arrest of Former Head

TheDiplomat - Fri, 05/06/2026 - 02:02
The program has come under scrutiny for its implementation and high cost, which is set to total nearly $15 billion in 2026.

Rising Security Risks Are Changing China’s Belt and Road Strategy

TheDiplomat - Thu, 04/06/2026 - 22:08
Beijing is becoming more selective about where and what it builds overseas. That transition was already underway but it has been hastened by the Iran-U.S. war.

Did China Overestimate the Geopolitical Returns of Its Latin America Strategy?

TheDiplomat - Thu, 04/06/2026 - 21:30
The assumption that economic leverage leads to political influence has underpinned China analysis for decades. Developments in Latin America are calling that into question.

What Shangri-La 2026 Revealed About the Future Regional Order

TheDiplomat - Thu, 04/06/2026 - 20:11
Like the CPTPP after the U.S. exit from TPP, the next phase of regional security may be shaped by what U.S. allies and partners build when Washington moves one step back.

What India’s Latest Press Freedom Ranking Reveals About Its Democratic Trajectory

TheDiplomat - Thu, 04/06/2026 - 16:43
The RSF’s score for India is significant not for the number itself, but for what that ranking reflects about deeper structural trends affecting journalism, media ownership, and democratic accountability.

Trilateral Dynamics: China’s Strategy to Test US Restraint of Japan

TheDiplomat - Thu, 04/06/2026 - 16:23
Takaichi’s overwhelming victory during the February election suggests China’s coercive approach might be counterproductive. But Beijing’s tactics are not aimed only at the bilateral relationship.

China, India, and the Emerging Green Divide

TheDiplomat - Thu, 04/06/2026 - 16:00
Clean technology has become embedded within a wider geopolitical contest over industrial leadership, technological sovereignty, and influence in the world, especially in the Global South. 

Quetta Train Bombing Points to Escalating Insurgent Violence in Balochistan

TheDiplomat - Thu, 04/06/2026 - 15:56
The attack, which coincided with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s visit to China, was aimed at sending China a message that its investments in Balochistan are not safe.

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