The Diplomat
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The premier international affairs magazine for the Asia-Pacific, covering politics, defense and society from China and Kazakhstan to Myanmar and Australia. thediplomat.com
China and India aren't the only states competing for influence through Buddhism. thediplomat.com/2026/08/when...
When Small States Practice Buddhist Diplomacy
While China and India compete for influence through Buddhism, smaller states such as Bhutan and Singapore are showing how Buddhist values, networks, and heritage can be transformed into diplomatic…
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Moscow is naming one of the disputed Kuril Islands after a Soviet spy who operated in Imperial Japan. thediplomat.com/2026/08/russ...
Russia’s New Move in the Kuril Dispute
Moscow is naming one of the disputed islands after a Soviet spy who operated in Imperial Japan.
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When Hasina's government was ousted, many feared that Islamists in Bangladesh would now have free rein. Did that actually happen? thediplomat.com/2026/08/is-i...
Is Islamic Extremism Taking Over Bangladesh?
Two years after Sheikh Hasina’s ouster, what is the role of Islamist movements in Bangladesh?
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South Korea’s army thought they were locked on to a North Korean UAV. It actually belonged to the U.S. Marine Corps. thediplomat.com/2026/08/what...
What a Near-Miss Drone Incident Reveals About South Korea-US Operational Coordination
South Korea’s army thought they were locked on to a North Korean UAV. It actually belonged to the U.S. Marine Corps.
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In China, India, much of Southeast Asia, and elsewhere in Asia, the net benefits of AI are perceived by populations to be greater than their drawbacks. thediplomat.com/2026/08/why-...
Why Asia Is More Enthusiastic About AI Than the West
In China, India, much of Southeast Asia, and elsewhere in Asia, the net benefits of AI are perceived by populations to be greater than their drawbacks.
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The powerful sister of North Korea’s leader said Japan’s preemptive attack capability is entering the “stage of the actual act,” and warned of a military response from Pyongyang. thediplomat.com/2026/08/kim-...
Kim Yo Jong Warns Japan Over First Tomahawk Missile Test
The powerful sister of North Korea’s leader said Japan’s preemptive attack capability is entering the “stage of the actual act.”
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A year of relative calm in the Kashmir valley was shattered on July 31 when terrorists opened fire on two non-local laborers at a brick kiln in Kilam village of South Kashmir’s Kulgam district. thediplomat.com/2026/08/15-m...
15 Months After Massacre at Pahalgam, Terrorists Target Non-local Civilians Again in Kashmir
Two laborers from central India were shot dead at a brick kiln in Kulgam in the Kashmir valley on July 31.
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2 years after the collapse of Hasina’s government, Jamaat-e-Islami has made a spectacular return to parliamentary politics and radical groups are mobilizing. Does that mean fears about Bangladesh’s Islamist explosion have come true? Not exactly. buff.ly/HuWnEJ3
Is Islamic Extremism Taking Over Bangladesh?
Two years after Sheikh Hasina’s ouster, what is the role of Islamism movements in Bangladesh?
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South Korea's president secured semiconductor pledges in San Francisco before turning to trade and mineral agreements in Brazil and Chile. thediplomat.com/2026/07/lee-...
Lee Pushes AI Investment in Silicon Valley and Turns to South American Minerals
The South Korean president secured semiconductor pledges in San Francisco before turning to trade and mineral agreements in Brazil and Chile.
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After a week of Russian-language stories that Dushanbe had outlawed hijabs, beards, and Arab-style dress, Tajikistan officially denied the reports. thediplomat.com/2026/07/taji...
Tajikistan Denies a Clothing Ban Its Police Keep Enforcing
A rumor with one traceable source drew an official rebuttal in Dushanbe that buried its documented enforcement.
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Xi’s speech addressed the attendees at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference, but his real audience was the international community, and of course the United States. thediplomat.com/2026/08/xi-j...
Xi Jinping’s AI Vision
Xi’s speech addressed the attendees at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference, but his real audience was the international community, and of course the United States.
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Myanmar’s detained former leader Aung San Suu Kyi met with a representative of the International Committee of the Red Cross, as coup leader-turned-president Min Aung Hlaing prepares to visit Thailand. thediplomat.com/2026/08/myan...
Myanmar’s Detained Leader Aung San Suu Kyi Meets Red Cross Official
The move is intended to weaken ASEAN’s determination to hold Myanmar to the Five-Point Consensus and widen the divisions between the bloc’s member states.
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Two years after Sheikh Hasina’s ouster, what is the role of Islamist movements in Bangladesh? thediplomat.com/2026/08/is-i...
Is Islamic Extremism Taking Over Bangladesh?
Two years after Sheikh Hasina’s ouster, what is the role of Islamist movements in Bangladesh?
thediplomat.com
Up to six proposals – ranging from nuclear power to absentee voting – will be put to Taiwanese voters in the November polls, but without the usual round of campaigning for signatures. thediplomat.com/2026/08/kmt-...
KMT, TPP Mull Referendums to Go With Taiwan’s Local Elections
Up to six proposals – ranging from nuclear power to absentee voting – will be put to voters in the November polls, but without the usual round of campaigning for signatures.
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The Red Sea corridor Asian trade depends on has another volatile shore, and almost nobody is watching it. thediplomat.com/2026/08/iran...
Iran in Port Sudan? The Next Threat to Asian Markets
The Red Sea corridor Asian trade depends on has another volatile shore, and almost nobody is watching it.
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More than 80 percent of India’s population lives in districts highly vulnerable to floods, droughts, and cyclones. Local officials know what is needed: higher roads, stronger embankments, safer shelters, and simple early-warning systems. The problem is funding. thediplomat.com/2026/08/as-w...
As World Bank Retreats From Climate Targets, India’s Most Vulnerable Could Pay the Price
Most climate finance goes where it is easiest to lend. Embankments, water systems, shade, and shelters that save lives and livelihoods in villages struggle to find funding.
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On August 4, Japan’s Cabinet approved the 2026 edition of its annual defense white paper, warning that China is steadily expanding its military reach into the Pacific beyond the First Island Chain. thediplomat.com/2026/08/japa...
Japan’s 2026 Defense White Paper Warns of China’s Expanding Military Reach in the Pacific
This year’s white paper places particular emphasis on Beijing’s growing ability to project military power beyond the First Island Chain.
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His rhetoric was familiar, but carried additional weight in light of recent clashes between Chinese and Philippine vessels in the South China Sea.
What Philippine President Marcos Said About China in His State of the Nation Address
His rhetoric was familiar, but carried additional weight in light of recent clashes between Chinese and Philippine vessels in the South China Sea.
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The capricious treatment of partners and allies threatens to do long-term damage to Washington’s standing in the region.
Donald Trump’s Tariff Re-Do in Southeast Asia
The capricious treatment of partners and allies threatens to do long-term damage to Washington’s standing in the region.
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Aside from making sympathetic noises about living standards, Xi offered no new wisdom or solutions.
Xi’s Shanghai Tour Offers No Relief for the Housing Crisis
Aside from making sympathetic noises about living standards, Xi offered no new wisdom or solutions.
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South Asia's smaller states want to bring back SAARC. Will India and Pakistan put aside their insecurities to make that happen?
South Asia’s Smaller States Push to Revive SAARC — Again
Will the region’s perpetually squabbling siblings — India and Pakistan — put aside their insecurities to make regional cooperation happen?
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Yes, the Indo-Pacific leaders were absent from the NATO summit for the second year in a row. But that’s not because of a lack of interest in the partnership.
NATO-IP4 Relations Remain Stronger Than the Last Two Summits Suggest
Yes, the Indo-Pacific leaders were absent for the second year in a row. But that’s not because of a lack of interest in the partnership.
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As Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine starts to take a financial toll on Kazakhstan, Tokayev puts forward a rare call for negotiations.
Kazakh President Tokayev’s ‘Humble’ Query for Peace
As Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine starts to take a financial toll on Kazakhstan, Tokayev puts forward a rare call for negotiations.
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The China Coast Guard has apparently established a regular presence in the waters east of Taiwan, asserting Beijing’s jurisdictional claim.
China Moves to Lock in a New Edge on Taiwan Before the Next Trump-Xi Summit
The China Coast Guard has apparently established a regular presence in the waters east of Taiwan, asserting Beijing’s jurisdictional claim.
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Every cleanup in Ladakh, India, tells the same story. Volunteers arrive expecting breathtaking landscapes, only to find colorful snack wrappers buried in the soil, plastic bottles washed into rivers, and food packaging scattered across mountain slopes.
Ladakh Cannot Afford a Plastic Future
A broken system continues to push disposable plastic into one of the world’s most fragile mountain ecosystems.
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Pyongyang’s strict ideological controls apply to perceptions of its allies as well as to “hostile states” like the United States.
North Korea Needs China and Russia – But Doesn’t Want Its People Admiring Them
Pyongyang’s strict ideological controls apply to perceptions of its allies as well as to “hostile states” like the United States.
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Have fears about Bangladesh’s Islamist explosion post-Hasina come true?
Is Islamic Extremism Taking Over Bangladesh?
Two years after Sheikh Hasina’s ouster, what is the role of Islamism movements in Bangladesh?
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In Negeri Sembilan, the Pakatan Harapan coalition was washed away by a wave of Malay unity that could determine the outcome of the next general election. buff.ly/Ne1lQyL
Citizens of 50 foreign countries seeking to obtain business or tourism visas to come to the United States may be required to pay a significant sum – a bond of up to $20,000 – to obtain a visa. Among the 50 countries, 12 are in Asia.
12 Asian Countries Subject to Finalized US Visa Bond Program
The program, which launched as a pilot in August 2025, is now permanent and at present affects the citizens of 50 countries.
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Officials say that the first small modular reactor of Uzbekistan’s nuclear power plant project is to be commissioned in 2029.
Uzbekistan’s Nuclear Power Plant Project Advances
Officials say that the first small modular reactor of Uzbekistan’s nuclear power plant project is to be commissioned in 2029.
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