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Michael Caster discusses the link between China's digital investments abroad and digital repression. 

https://thediplomat.com/2024/04/the-danger-of-chinas-digital-silk-road/

An interview with Malika Bahovadinova on the complexities of the Tajik migration experience in Russia.

https://thediplomat.com/2024/04/before-and-after-the-crocus-city-hall-attack-tajik-migrants-in-russia/

It has been almost 80 years since Mongolia switched to using the Cyrillic alphabet. Why is the government now promoting the traditional bichig script?

https://thediplomat.com/2024/04/the-complex-geopolitics-of-mongolias-language-reform/

Across the region, it’s never been more critical to cultivate a resilient healthcare workforce capable of addressing climate-induced public health issues.

https://thediplomat.com/2024/04/is-southeast-asias-healthcare-workforce-ready-for-climate-change/

No matter what the verdict against Bishimbayev turns out to be, change in relation to domestic violence in Kazakhstan is long overdue. 

https://thediplomat.com/2024/04/live-streamed-murder-trial-reopens-discussion-on-domestic-violence-in-kazakhstan/

Both governments recognize that an influx of Indian migrant workers could finally forge a strong people-to-people aspect in India-Israel relations.

https://thediplomat.com/2024/04/labor-diplomacy-to-bolster-ties-between-india-and-israel/

The exploitation of Indian workers in Russia highlights the need for a proactive approach by the Indian government to uphold the rights and ensure the safety of its citizens abroad.

https://thediplomat.com/2024/04/deceived-and-deployed-indian-workers-trapped-in-russias-war/

Recent comments by the commander of the Arakan Army have prompted a heated debate about history, language, and ethnic identity.

https://thediplomat.com/2024/04/moving-towards-understanding-and-reconciliation-in-myanmars-rakhine-state/

While the country espouses an official commitment to gender equality, the reality for women is one of discrimination and limited opportunities.

https://thediplomat.com/2024/04/the-dire-state-of-womens-rights-in-north-korea/

With profound cultural significance in Asia, poached abalone is trafficked across the globe, inflicting significant harm on disadvantaged South African coastal communities where poaching means su...

https://thediplomat.com/2024/04/the-consequences-of-chinas-voracious-appetite-for-illicit-south-african-abalone/

In announcing the closure of Soros Foundation-Kyrgyzstan, the Open Society Foundations cited the new “foreign representatives” law.

https://thediplomat.com/2024/04/open-society-foundations-closes-down-kyrgyzstan-operation/

China, a legitimate contender to the U.S.-led world order, fundamentally challenges the doctrine of American exceptionalism – the basic tenet of U.S. national identity.

https://thediplomat.com/2024/04/how-american-exceptionalism-gave-rise-to-the-china-threat-theory/

Political and security considerations outweigh humanitarian concerns in determining the fast-tracking of Indian citizenship for persecuted minorities in India’s neighborhood.

https://thediplomat.com/2024/04/indian-citizenship-laws-exclusion-of-sri-lankan-tamils/

10 years on, bereaved families and their supporters continue to push for justice and accountability in all manner of man-made tragedies.

https://thediplomat.com/2024/04/how-the-sewol-sinking-changed-south-korea/

Chinese authorities regularly inflict collective punishment against families of activists and dissidents – penalizing them by proxy by harming their children, spouses, or parents. 

https://thediplomat.com/2024/04/xi-jinping-and-collective-punishment-of-human-rights-defenders-families/

Can Uzbekistan’s education system accommodate the growing number of students amid rapid population growth?

https://thediplomat.com/2024/04/uzbekistans-educational-challenge-scaling-up-for-a-booming-population/

The border town of Myawaddy has now fallen and ethnic rebels want negotiations with the Thai government.

https://thediplomat.com/2024/04/life-along-the-thai-myanmar-frontier/

It's not only the renewed conscription law – financial reforms targeting overseas workers risk forcing more and more Myanmar nationals into irregular migration.

https://thediplomat.com/2024/04/myanmars-new-taxation-and-conscription-policies-are-likely-to-increase-irregular-migration/

Ombudsman representatives confirmed Makhabat Tajibek kyzy was bruised from an apparent beating, but detention center staff would not allow them to document it. 

https://thediplomat.com/2024/04/detained-kyrgyz-journalist-alleges-abuse-by-guards/

A 2022 survey revealed that nearly 63 percent of surveyed foreigners in Japan were racially profiled and stopped by the police multiple times.

https://thediplomat.com/2024/04/indians-in-japan-work-life-and-racism/

Efforts to address social issues risk being co-opted for political gain or used to further divisive agendas.

https://thediplomat.com/2024/04/uttarakhands-civil-code-breeds-an-indian-surveillance-state/

While the Biden administration seeks to aggressively regulate TikTok, it has given up attempting to control disinformation on domestic social media companies.

https://thediplomat.com/2024/04/banning-tiktok-wont-solve-the-us-social-media-problem/

Child delivery and abortion are among the very few medical procedures that are exclusively conducted by state medical entities. That could change soon.

https://thediplomat.com/2024/04/uzbekistan-aims-to-allow-private-medical-institutions-to-deliver-babies/

Just weeks after the "Allah socks" scandal, a Malaysian shoe company has found itself at the center of another conservative culture war controversy.

https://thediplomat.com/2024/04/malaysian-firm-removes-shoes-from-sale-over-religious-complaints/

In the aftermath of the Crocus City Hall attack, Tajiks find their world shrinking further.

https://thediplomat.com/2024/04/turkey-ends-visa-free-access-for-tajik-citizens/

Fisherfolk in India and Pakistan are the victims of a turbulent mix of politics, economic crises, and climate change.

https://thediplomat.com/2024/04/caught-in-the-crossfire-india-and-pakistans-fishing-communities/

The puzzle presented by these incidents can only be understood in the context of China’s police brutality and growing transnational repression.

https://thediplomat.com/2024/04/self-kidnappings-by-chinese-students-abroad-mystery-solved/

An Indonesian Supreme Court decision in 2023 made it harder for interfaith couples to have their marriages recognized.

https://thediplomat.com/2024/04/challenges-ahead-for-indonesias-interfaith-couples/

The veteran editor speaks about the media's changing role and declining influence in both Australia and Southeast Asia.

https://thediplomat.com/2024/04/rating-the-media-a-conversation-with-david-armstrong/

As the world closely watches Gaza and Ukraine, a source reaches out from another enclosed area of prolonged armed conflict: West Papua.

https://thediplomat.com/2024/04/in-west-papua-the-birth-of-a-lost-generation/

The geopolitics of first contact is an interesting question. Does it really matter who speaks for humanity first? 

https://thediplomat.com/2024/04/are-we-bugs-the-geopolitics-of-netflixs-3-body-problem/

According to the global body, 18.6 million people in Myanmar will need humanitarian assistance in 2024 – a nineteen-fold increase since the 2021 coup.

https://thediplomat.com/2024/04/myanmars-intensifying-conflict-taking-massive-rights-toll-un/

Public surveys show that a majority of ordinary South Koreans support Yoon's plan to sharply increase medical school admissions.

https://thediplomat.com/2024/04/south-koreas-president-meets-leader-of-doctors-strike-seeking-end-to-walkout/

The Uyghur genocide is gradually and silently fading away, as if it never occurred in the first place. 

https://thediplomat.com/2024/04/erasing-memories-concealing-evidence-chinas-efforts-to-obscure-the-uyghur-genocide/

KK Supermart, the country's second-largest chain of convenience stores, is at the center of a social media firestorm.

https://thediplomat.com/2024/04/third-malaysian-mini-mart-attacked-over-allah-socks-scandal/

“With the advent of AI… we are in very scary, uncharted waters,” says co-founder Michael Hayes.

https://thediplomat.com/2024/04/end-of-an-era-as-the-phnom-penh-post-closes-its-doors/

Any de-risking strategy that does not include a focus on protecting civil society from CCP interference will fall short.

https://thediplomat.com/2024/04/de-riskings-blind-spot-chinas-targeting-of-global-civil-society/

Good design is a decentralized mechanism for international engagement. It is a soft power tool that can produce expanding effects.

https://thediplomat.com/2024/03/does-urban-design-matter-for-international-engagement/

Once the law is approved by the Senate and the King, the country will become the first in Southeast Asia to legalize same-sex marriage.

https://thediplomat.com/2024/03/thailands-parliament-passes-landmark-marriage-equality-bill/

As Taiwan’s first cohort of one-year conscripts complete their basic training, the public remains heavily supportive of the policy change.

https://thediplomat.com/2024/03/now-that-its-a-reality-does-taiwan-still-back-extended-military-conscription/

As long as people have limited opportunities in the socioeconomic and political arenas, and adherence to a religious lifestyle is restricted, pilgrimages will remain as an accessible means of sel...

https://thediplomat.com/2024/03/whats-behind-central-asias-umrah-fever/

It’s the first time that any South Korean newspaper has ever employed a Japanese reporter as a staff writer.

https://thediplomat.com/2024/03/south-koreas-joongang-hires-japanese-reporter-as-tokyo-correspondent/

North Korea sent researchers from its Missile General Bureau to receive advanced rocket engine technology from Russia, a source told Daily NK.

https://thediplomat.com/2024/03/air-koryo-flight-brings-north-korean-defense-researchers-students-to-russia/

Leading precarious lives in camps in Bangladesh and India, stateless Rohingya face an uncertain future.

https://thediplomat.com/2024/03/why-the-rohingya-are-being-treated-the-way-they-are/

Critics say that the military junta's involvement in the aid program will prevent the assistance from reaching many of those most in need.

https://thediplomat.com/2024/03/thailand-sends-first-aid-shipment-to-myanmar-along-controversial-humanitarian-corridor/

The veteran editor on winning awards, breaking news, and managing journalists.

https://thediplomat.com/2024/03/editing-cambodian-news-a-conversation-with-alan-parkhouse/

After a major nuclear test seven decades ago, the U.S. government began secretly studying the Marshallese people like “mice.” The country has never healed.

https://thediplomat.com/2024/03/americas-human-experiments-in-the-marshall-islands-demand-justice/

The rescue off the coast of Aceh underscores the extreme dangers that many refugees are exposing themselves to in order to find sanctuary abroad.

https://thediplomat.com/2024/03/indonesia-rescues-dozens-of-rohingya-refugees-from-capsized-boat/

More than 90% of medical interns and residents have been on strike for about a month to protest the government’s plan to sharply increase medical school admissions.

https://thediplomat.com/2024/03/south-korea-will-take-final-steps-to-suspend-licenses-of-striking-junior-doctors-starting-next-week/

Hong Kong’s new national security law will incentivize self-censorship by creatives of all kinds – including those far beyond Hong Kong’s borders.

https://thediplomat.com/2024/03/self-censorship-hong-kongs-next-export/

The festival traditionally marks the beginning of the school year. For the thousands of girls who are prevented from attending by Taliban edicts, it’s a heart-wrenching time.

https://thediplomat.com/2024/03/a-not-so-bright-nowruz-for-afghanistans-girls/

An interview with Minister of Labor and Social Protection Bulgantuya Khurelbaatar.

https://thediplomat.com/2024/03/mongolias-labor-minister-on-tackling-the-workplace-gender-gap/

Ethnic Cham followers of the Kan Imam San order are promised a better life if they convert to Sunni Islam, but many prefer to hold onto their own traditions.

https://thediplomat.com/2024/03/cambodias-unique-islamic-sect-fights-to-resist-assimilation/

Effective cultural diplomacy ultimately rests on the shoulders of creatives and artists looking to tell a good story.

https://thediplomat.com/2024/03/akira-toriyama-and-the-true-source-of-japanese-soft-power/

For Uyghurs in exile, the suffering of loved ones is a source of never-ending anguish – especially when their fates remain unknown.

https://thediplomat.com/2024/03/the-uyghur-diasporas-desperate-search-for-family-members-in-china/

A same-sex marriage amendment has passed its first reading in the country's House of Representatives.

https://thediplomat.com/2024/03/thai-parliament-set-to-legalize-same-sex-marriage-by-years-end-official-says/

Following a devastating week of extreme weather forcing the cancellation of Pitch, Australia's decimated live entertainment scene recalibrates.

https://thediplomat.com/2024/03/the-climate-crisis-is-crushing-australian-festivals/

An investigation into pro-Kremlin Telegram users reveals Russia’s influence operations regarding Taiwan’s sovereignty and democracy.

https://thediplomat.com/2024/03/how-pro-russia-influencers-framed-taiwans-elections-on-telegram/

A recent set of proposals seeks to address an alarming decline.

https://thediplomat.com/2024/03/why-cant-china-attract-students-from-developed-countries-anymore/

Despite a string of fatal accidents, the country is struggling to improve safety standards in its aviation industry.

https://thediplomat.com/2024/03/another-aircraft-incident-highlights-indonesias-shaky-aviation-safety-record/

The world must expand its channels of communication with North Koreans working overseas to prevent human rights abuse.

https://thediplomat.com/2024/03/north-korean-workers-abroad-cant-escape-the-regimes-human-rights-abuses/

Patriotic campaigns have become more common in recent years in China, as online nationalists attack journalists, writers, or other public figures they say have offended the country's dignity.

https://thediplomat.com/2024/03/mo-yan-chinas-only-nobel-winning-author-targeted-in-patriotic-lawsuit/

How to save thousands of lives by preventing STDs.

https://thediplomat.com/2024/03/cabbages-and-condoms-a-conversation-with-mechai-viravaidya/

The social media platform has been blocked in Pakistan for nearly a month, following the controversial general election.

https://thediplomat.com/2024/03/pakistans-x-restrictions-near-1-month-mark-despite-court-ruling/

The authorities have accused Temirov Live, a respected investigative outlet, of inciting mass unrest, and jailed nearly a dozen of its current and former employees.

https://thediplomat.com/2024/03/with-journalists-behind-bars-kyrgyzstan-enters-new-era-of-repression/

At the highest level, the problem lies unaddressed: powerful representatives of state bodies have failed to strongly and publicly condemn domestic violence.

https://thediplomat.com/2024/03/tajikistans-epidemic-of-domestic-violence-against-women/

Restoring dignity in women’s labor can give older women the care and respect they deserve in late life.

https://thediplomat.com/2024/03/abused-abandoned-neglected-the-plight-of-indias-older-women/

Over 50 decrees issued by the Taliban regime directly curtail their rights and bind them in a web of oppression.

https://thediplomat.com/2024/03/afghan-women-and-girls-rights-stifled-in-the-shadow-of-international-indifference/

With the election over, Indonesia gears up to celebrate women's day. It's a timely reminder of how far women in leadership have to go in the nation.

https://thediplomat.com/2024/03/where-are-indonesias-women-leaders/

The Malaysian Airlines flight disappeared a decade ago and was never found. Here's what we know about one of aviation's biggest mysteries.

https://thediplomat.com/2024/03/10-years-after-it-vanished-will-malaysia-restart-the-search-for-mh370/

Taylor Swift is playing six concerts in Singapore. That’s causing discontent in other Southeast Asia nations, which missed out.

https://thediplomat.com/2024/03/singapore-says-swift-is-mine-upsetting-its-neighbors/

As disturbing as the assaults is the response of ministers and officials who accuse those that speak out against rape culture of defaming India.

https://thediplomat.com/2024/03/sexual-violence-grows-in-10-years-of-modi-rule-in-india/

New Delhi's security-centric policy in the Union Territory since August 2019 has left locals feeling sidelined and disempowered.

https://thediplomat.com/2024/03/between-protests-and-border-incursions-insecurity-is-rising-in-ladakh/

Police recorded 31,516 rape cases in 2022, a 20 percent increase from 2021, according to the National Crime Records Bureau.

https://thediplomat.com/2024/03/gang-rape-of-a-tourist-in-india-highlights-culture-of-downplaying-sexual-violence/

The nations of the region are all experiencing shrinking workforces and rising life expectancy – in some cases at the same time.

https://thediplomat.com/2024/03/what-do-we-mean-when-we-talk-about-southeast-asias-demographics-crisis/

Gwadar, the centerpiece of CPEC, is among the worst-affected areas, exacerbating local complaints of official neglect.

https://thediplomat.com/2024/03/rain-causes-havoc-in-balochistans-coastal-region/

The Tajik authorities portray themselves as protectors of morality, and adopt harsh measures to prevent LGBTQ+ people from living their lives.

https://thediplomat.com/2024/03/beaten-threatened-and-outed-the-ordeals-of-lgbtq-people-in-tajikistan/

The theory may seem plausible on its face, but ultimately hinges on an unlikely series of events.

https://thediplomat.com/2024/03/the-conspiracy-theory-that-amelia-earhart-was-killed-by-japanese-soldiers/

Experts say lax monitoring and violation of building codes by construction companies and owners have proved deadly in Bangladesh.

https://thediplomat.com/2024/03/as-death-toll-climbs-bangladeshi-leader-says-shopping-mall-that-burned-had-no-emergency-exits/

The move comes less than two years after the Thai government became the first Southeast Asian country to legalize the cultivation and consumption of marijuana.

https://thediplomat.com/2024/03/thailand-to-ban-recreational-marijuana-use-by-years-end-minister-says/

In a break from its past censorship strategies, China is now attempting to expand its circle of influence beyond its own borders. 

https://thediplomat.com/2024/03/china-targets-overseas-social-media-influencers-in-its-latest-transnational-repression-scheme/

The Global Overseas Adoptees’ Link has been vital in pushing for a special visa status and other services to help Koreans adopted abroad reconnect with South Korea.

https://thediplomat.com/2024/03/helping-south-korean-adoptees-return-to-their-birth-country/

As we muddle through the complexities of the 21st century, progress appears to be stifled by a media keen on angering its audience, rather than informing them.

https://thediplomat.com/2024/03/fear-and-loathing-rule-australias-angry-media-landscape/

Caught between unrealistic parental aspirations and inability to cope with academic pressure, students spiral into depression and sometimes die by suicide.

https://thediplomat.com/2024/02/student-suicides-in-kotas-coaching-factories-point-to-indias-broken-education-system/

Can South Korea entice women into the workforce by outsourcing domestic labor to foreigners? More importantly, should it?

https://thediplomat.com/2024/02/the-demographic-promises-and-perils-of-seouls-filipino-domestic-helper-initiative/

Wang Zhi’an and Li Ying said in separate posts that Chinese police were interrogating people who followed them on social media, and urged followers to take precautions.

https://thediplomat.com/2024/02/2-chinese-bloggers-in-exile-warn-that-police-are-interrogating-their-followers/

While the focus on Afghanistan tends to revolve around geopolitical tensions and security concerns, the slow erosion of the urban middle class is sending the country decades backward.

https://thediplomat.com/2024/02/the-silent-erosion-of-afghanistans-urban-middle-class-a-neglected-crisis/

A recent Federal Court ruling has highlighted the tension between the Federal Constitution and Sharia laws passed by conservative state legislatures.

https://thediplomat.com/2024/02/malaysias-court-system-struggles-with-the-rise-of-state-level-theocracy/

Language is a critical part of the country's moves toward post-war reconciliation, especially when it comes to grassroots efforts.

https://thediplomat.com/2024/02/what-a-tamil-language-school-in-sri-lanka-tells-us-about-the-reconciliation-process/

Limited access to period products during India’s COVID lockdowns highlighted how far public health initiatives have to go when it comes to menstruation.

https://thediplomat.com/2024/02/how-indias-covid-19-lockdowns-impacted-menstrual-health/

About 7,800 medical interns and residents in South Korea have walked off their jobs this week to protest the government’s push to recruit more medical students.

https://thediplomat.com/2024/02/south-korean-government-warns-striking-doctors-to-return-to-work-or-face-legal-action/

As in the West, extending marriage rights to same-sex couples will only serve to strengthen the social fabric.

https://thediplomat.com/2024/02/southeast-asias-reactionaries-can-embrace-same-sex-marriage/

A genuine flowering of popular culture would inevitably showcase the repressive nature of the Thai state.

https://thediplomat.com/2024/02/the-self-defeating-nature-of-thailands-soft-power-push/

A conversation with war crimes lawyer Michael Karnavas.

https://thediplomat.com/2024/02/war-crimes-and-the-meaning-of-genocide/

Idols and masks of Hindu deities stolen from the Himalayan country are being returned by museums and private collectors abroad.

https://thediplomat.com/2024/02/nepals-gods-and-goddesses-are-returning-home/

The country and the region would benefit from women's greater involvement in diplomacy and foreign affairs.

https://thediplomat.com/2024/02/why-cambodia-needs-to-incorporate-more-women-into-its-foreign-policy-process/