APAC Insider

The BBC’s three top Asia-Pacific stories this morning were all about the country, and all addressed themes that will undoubtedly be recurring for the foreseeable future – media restrictions, defence and human rights.A report by the International Fede

The most interesting discussions prompted by the summit on Afghanistan’s future held in London yesterday were centred around suggestions of negotiating with the Taliban. Although both sides are understandably wary about discussing details, a UN offic

We have an interesting piece coming up tomorrow by ‘War is Boring’ blogger and defence analyst David Axe who looks at China’s recent missile exo-atmospheric test and what it could mean for the region (China is only the second country to succeed in su

Having talked a couple of days ago about military restraint between prickly neighbours (in that case Cambodia and Thailand), and a day after we flagged the west coast of the Korean Peninsula as a possible flashpoint, North and South Korea have exchan

Japan’s ruling Democratic Party of Japan saw a potential door close on one possible way out of the problems it’s having over the relocation of a US Marine base in Okinawa.The DPJ is having a real headache deciding whether to follow through with a 200

as has our Southeast Asia correspondent Luke Hunt. The potential dangers were made clear in a clash between the two countries’ militaries early Sunday near the disputed site of Preah Vihar Temple.Thai Prime Minister Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva p

The Diplomat contributor Sergei DeSilva is finishing up a piece for us on the aftermath of the Sri Lankan government’s victory over the Tamil Tigers ahead of the election taking place next week.But in the meantime, it seems, the government is still s

Following the militant attacks on Kabul earlier this week, I asked Animesh Roul, Executive Director (Research) of the Society for the Study of Peace and Conflict in New Delhi and a regular contributor to Counterterrorism Blog what kind of impact the

One of the debates that’s been going on among readers of Minxin Pei’s piece ‘China’s not a Superpower’ over on our APAC 2020 feature has been how exactly to define a superpower. Is it just about military or economic strength, for example, or do you n

The audacious attacks claimed by the Taliban yesterday in Kabul, targeting shopping centres, government buildings and a hotel, claimed several lives, with several dozen more people injured. But the psychological impact is likely to be far more powerf

I talked at the time about the massacre that claimed dozens of lives in the southern Philippines in November. One of the inevitable consequences of the 24-hour news cycle is that once the horrific pictures have been screened and the death toll finali

China’s Internet is open. Except when it isn’t.  China’s foreign ministry made the first claim Thursday following Google’s suggestion this week that it might pull out of China. But as I’ve said previously, the conflicting reality to these statem