2022/05/17 |
Japan’s Reluctant Realism on Taiwan
As a key U.S. ally in East Asia, Japan is debating the introduction of legislation to ready itself to deal with a contingency scenario in Taiwan, a defensive response rather than a proactive military strategy.
2022/02/17 |
Presidential Politics Heats up in Indonesia
Jokowi and his coalition partners have been preoccupied not just with the remaining two years of this presidential term, but also with the remainder of the decade. They have been prepared to countenance options that are contrary to democratic principles.
2022/01/22 |
Vietnam’s Covid-19 Testing Scandal Goes Viral
Overpriced testing kits are an extremely sensitive issue that feeds into the long-standing problem of cronyism and backdoor politics in the medical equipment trade.
2022/03/02 |
Why Xi Jinping Is Still Willing To Wear the Costs of Zero-Covid
Surging cases, faltering health infrastructure, and a wave of self-isolation in China could produce more acute labor shortages and supply chain disruptions than zero-Covid.
2022/04/21 |
Indonesia Is a Fence Sitter on the Russia–Ukraine Crisis
While Indonesia’s government avoided taking a stand on the war, public opinion tilted in favor of Russia.
2022/06/01 |
As the World Sanctions Russia, China Takes Note
China’s reliance on the West and its capacity to withstand sanctions will be reduced if it has more control over the financial system. While it is working towards becoming less economically dependent on the West, it is not there yet.
2022/01/26 |
Myanmar Tumbles Into the Abyss
The Myanmar army’s capacity to consolidate its rule appears more fragile than ever, with so many new armed groups now taking up to the fight to the military regime and its representatives.
2022/05/09 |
Is This the End of Duterte’s Politically-driven War on Drugs?
The two current leading candidates for president aim to not be labelled “soft on crime,” but wish to de-emphasize what has clearly been a brutal crackdown that has alienated a growing part of the population.
2022/05/04 |
Unraveling the Controversies of Chinese Foreign Aid
China’s new aid and security pact with the Solomon Islands is the latest case to raise the question of whether Chinese aid is developmental or a political.
2022/07/13 |
Can Egg Freezing Crack Singapore’s Demographic Decline?
Singaporean women and demographic observers may have cause for celebration, but medical technology does not present the ideal solution to what is, at heart, a social problem.
2022/03/18 |
Can Seoul Court Beijing’s Perception Problem?
While it might be unrealistic for Seoul to completely sever itself from Washington’s global geostrategy, Beijing and Seoul could still reach a modus vivendi on South Korea’s contribution to the U.S.-led Indo-Pacific Strategy and its future relationship with the Quad.
2022/03/24 |
Philippine Party-list Elections Steal From the Poor and Give to the Rich
Instead of serving the poor in whose name they ran, many party-list representatives have been accused of corruption. They have also pushed for the closure of a leading broadcast network critical of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte.
2022/01/17 |
South Korea’s Transgender Community Pushes for Recognition and Acceptance
The issue of transgender discrimination was once again brought into the spotlight earlier in 2021, following the suicide of a soldier who was forcibly discharged from the military after a gender reassignment surgery.
2022/02/22 |
A No-fly Zone Won’t Fly in Myanmar
As long as Myanmar’s junta enjoys the support of Russia and China, there is little chance that the UN would support the idea of a no-fly zone.
2022/04/13 |
The Russia–Ukraine Crisis and Japan’s Energy Dilemma
The war in Ukraine has led to renewed momentum for Japan to accelerate investment in energy efficiency, electrification, and renewables, which are being proposed as a solution to the global energy market turmoil.
2022/08/03 |
China’s Vocational Education Woes
China has a long-standing culture of degrading vocational graduates and discouraging parents from sending their children to vocational institutes.
2022/01/05 |
Challenges Abound for Japan’s Kishida in 2022
Kishida’s new initiative called the “new form of capitalism” has been disappointing so far.
2022/02/14 |
Civic Rights for Foreign Residents Sparks Backlash in Japan
Voting rights for foreigners wasn’t an issue in Japan’s general elections last year, yet conservative mass media latched onto a proposal by the city assembly of Musashino in suburban Tokyo, making it an issue of national security.