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The Diplomat is a current-affairs magazine for the Asia-Pacific, with news and analysis on politics, security, business, technology and life across the region.
Updated: 5 hours 29 sec ago

Vietnam War Redux?

Mon, 06/04/2026 - 12:22
In an echo of history, Iran hints at a war of attrition with the U.S. and its allies.

India’s 59-Year Maoist Insurgency Collapses

Mon, 06/04/2026 - 07:03
The government appears to have met its March 31, 2026, deadline for ending the Maoist insurgency. But it is too early to celebrate.

How the India-Myanmar Border in the Northeast is Being Misread

Fri, 03/04/2026 - 18:59
The border is often spoken of as if it already exists in a fixed and continuous form, as if the line has been fully drawn and only needs to be defended. The reality is different.

Revisiting Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un’s Last Meeting

Fri, 03/04/2026 - 16:28
The 2019 snap summit at the DMZ was a mesmerizing reality show, for which there had been no preparation – but it almost worked.

TSMC’s Kumamoto Fab Upgrade: A Security-Driven Reconfiguration of Indo-Pacific Chip Competition

Fri, 03/04/2026 - 16:12
The move not only strengthens Japan’s position in the semiconductor sector, but also shows that chip competition is increasingly being shaped by geopolitics rather than market logic.

When Feminist Speech Disappears Online, Chinese Women Find New Ways to Speak

Fri, 03/04/2026 - 15:40
Post-censorship feminism offers insight into how activism adapts when public speech becomes risky. 

Beijing Is Racing to Get Concessions From Taiwan’s KMT

Fri, 03/04/2026 - 15:02
Cheng Li-wun is the party’s most pro-Beijing chair in a decade – and China is rushing to take advantage.

Australia’s EU Critical Minerals Deal Is No Quick Fix for Its China Dependence

Fri, 03/04/2026 - 15:02
Europe can provide capital, technology and market access, but it cannot quickly replace China’s unmatched role as a buyer, processor and integrated industrial ecosystem.

Why the Aral Sea’s Restoration Matters Beyond Central Asia

Fri, 03/04/2026 - 14:33
The Aral Sea’s story demonstrates how human actions can profoundly alter natural systems, yet it also shows that determined cooperation can begin to repair environmental damage that once seemed irreversible.

The Notion of the Chinese Nation: How Beijing’s New Ethnic Law Pushes Taiwan Further Away

Fri, 03/04/2026 - 14:29
Contrasting approaches to language and identity highlight a widening divide in how each side conceptualizes nationhood – part of the political and societal gap across the Taiwan Strait.

Ten Years After the ADHOC 5, Cambodia’s Human Rights Defenders Are Still Paying the Price

Fri, 03/04/2026 - 05:48
The international human rights system depends on the work of local defenders, but offers them little protection once they become politically inconvenient.

Why India Should Leverage BRICS to Call for Ceasefire in West Asia

Thu, 02/04/2026 - 20:05
What makes BRICS silence on the war in West Asia particularly deplorable is that two fellow BRICS members -- Iran and the UAE -- are directly caught in the war.

Forgotten Faces in the Contested South China Sea

Thu, 02/04/2026 - 19:55
Vietnamese fishers, especially those who have faced physical violence from Chinese forces, suffer in silence. 

China and African Sovereignty: Beyond the Digital Silk Road Narrative

Thu, 02/04/2026 - 19:02
African states have considerable agency to shape their own digital governance and are not simply accepting models imposed on them by China or other external actors.

Tajikistan’s Households Spend More Than They Earn

Thu, 02/04/2026 - 18:33
The gap is narrow, but it leaves families with little room to absorb new shocks, including those now emerging from the war in Iran.

The Iran War Mediation and Pakistan’s ‘Reverse Bismarck’

Thu, 02/04/2026 - 16:26
Despite the positive optics of punching above its weight in diplomacy, Pakistan has become weaker over time.

Mongolia’s Schools Have a Violence Problem That Goes Far Deeper Than Viral Videos

Thu, 02/04/2026 - 15:55
When victimized students were asked where they turned for help, 44.5 percent said they searched the internet, while only 2.9 percent went to a friend and fewer than 3 percent contacted the police.

Amid Iran War Energy Crunch, Taiwan Turns Back Toward Nuclear Energy

Thu, 02/04/2026 - 15:49
With energy security back in the spotlight, the Lai administration has scrapped a longstanding plank of the DPP platform: opposing nuclear power.

Why China’s ‘Rare Earth Card’ Is Unlikely to Become a Lasting Geopolitical Lever

Thu, 02/04/2026 - 15:14
China’s rare earth advantage does not equal strategic supremacy. 

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