2022/10/19 |
The 20th Party Congress and the Crowning of Xi Jinping
Xi Jinping’s maneuverings to ensure his personal domination in the CCP, long in the planning, threaten to upset a bedrock of the durability of the party.
2022/10/06 |
Okinawa’s Elections Expose Problems With Military Coexistence
Okinawa’s role in Japanese security was reinforced by China’s military drills in the Taiwan Strait following U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan.
2022/09/28 |
Church Drama Is a Dilemma for Kishida
Distaste for Abe and his fellow politicians’ links to the Unification Church has propelled a moral panic about controversial religious organizations in Japan, bringing to mind the media-driven alarm following the sarin gas attacks in 1995.
2022/09/19 |
Yoon Scrambles To Restore Domestic Confidence
With approval ratings bottoming out at 24%, President Yoon Suk-yeol carried out the first reshuffle of his office, but it's too early to tell whether the move will restore domestic confidence in his presidency.
2022/09/08 |
Malaysia’s Institutional Uncertainty
Despite graft conviction, Najib Razak’s return to power could be imaginable given the power dynamics in UMNO. As a first step, he is now seeking a pardon from the king.
2022/09/01 |
Japan’s Women Lawmakers Remain Seated
Japan’s celebration of record high number of women who won seats in the upper house may not stand up to close scrutiny.
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.
2022/07/13 |
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.
2022/06/01 |
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.
2022/05/17 |
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.
2022/05/09 |
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.
2022/04/21 |
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.
2022/04/13 |
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.
2022/03/24 |
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.
2022/03/18 |
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.
2022/03/02 |
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.
2022/02/22 |
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.