Beijing Rewrites the Story of Taiwan
Over the past several years, China’s information warfare capabilities have grown by leaps and bounds as Beijing has tapped into the disinformation expertise of its longstanding strategic partner, Russia. The results could be seen in the veritable “axis of disinformation” that emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic, as Russia and China (together with Iran) shared narratives […]
A Pipeline to Success: Central Asia’s Strategic Opportunity
It’s time to go big in Central Asia. The Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India gas pipeline holds promise to reshape Central and South Asia for decades to come. For the United States, linking Turkmenistan’s vast gas reserves to the growing energy needs of South Asia is imperative to counter Russian and Chinese influence. For over 30 years, this gas […]
Why President Trump Should Place Central Asia on His Agenda
For three decades Central Asia has remained largely peripheral to Washington’s strategic horizon. Yet Kazakhstan now supplies more than forty percent of the world’s mined uranium, while Turkmenistan controls one of the planet’s largest natural-gas deposits. No sitting US president has visited one of the region’s five countries – Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. […]
How Kazakhstan Can Become the Hub of the New Silk Road
The Trans-Caspian International Transit Route or “Middle Corridor” is Central Asia’s best bet for increasing connectivity and economic ties to the West. But Kazakhstan, the corridor’s hub, faces internal challenges like price competitiveness and external threats like climate change and geopolitics. The Middle Corridor stretches from western China across the vast Kazakh steppe and the […]
A South Asia Roadmap
As the incoming Trump administration turns its gaze outward, it will find a world that is rudderless in many places, often stagnant and bereft, in no small measure owing to the abdication of any meaningful leadership from the United States that began under Barack Obama. In large parts of the world—Latin America, for instance, and […]
Azerbaijan Between Triumph and Turbulence
Over the course of 33 years since the fall of the Soviet Union, Azerbaijan has transformed into an independent regional player. Its neighbors in Armenia fear that Azerbaijan’s ambitions will eventually lead to another war. Average Azerbaijanis, meanwhile, wonder when the military achievements will translate into economic prosperity. Regaining Territory Through War It’s impossible to […]
Will Bangladesh Turn Islamist?
This summer country-wide student protests led to an uprising that toppled the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wazed and her secular nationalist Awami League political party. Militant Islamist groups have taken advantage of the turmoil to target minority Hindus (and Christians) in Bangladesh. But apopleptic predictions are uncalled for. A better understanding of the […]
Southeast Asia’s Growing Importance to Global Trade
The world is in the initial stages of an evolution in the structure of global trade. While popular narratives about the era of globalization described a wide dispersion of trade flows and supply chains to all corners of the world, the reality was different. Global trade remained very concentrated. For example, close to 40 percent […]
The Gaza War as Seen from Southeast Asia
The Hamas onslaught upon Israel on October 7 and the resulting military response by Israel prompted a wide range of responses across Southeast Asia. Some are motivated by political and religious ideology, particularly in Muslim-majority nations, and others by pragmatism, self-interest and established relationships. Indonesia In Indonesia, numerous leaders expressed support and admiration for the Hamas terror […]
The Gaza War and East Asia
What can be said about the impact of current developments in the Middle East on East Asia? The most compelling current development is obviously the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, which has dominated the headlines for two months and will do so for many more months to come. War arouses strong emotions. […]
