Asia & the Pacific

A graphic novel plays out a nightmarish scenario of authoritarianism in the hopes of waking us up.

The war in Ukraine is leading to a linguistic backlash in Russophone Central Asia as young people embrace their mother tongues.

China wants investors but only in sectors it chooses.

The impeached South Korean president leaves behind a record riddled with contradictions.

The move is a blow to China, but it could also harm U.S. interests in the region.

A key U.S. ally has a leadership power vacuum.

The Indian government’s tense economic relationship with Elon Musk is now highly political.

Politicians of all stripes are tripping over each other to bash the U.S. trade war.

Beijing seeks friendly ties with New Delhi—but only on nonnegotiable terms.

The negotiations are especially urgent for New Delhi as it will be hit hard by Trump’s reciprocal tariffs.

Seemingly innocuous changes are a reminder of the past dictatorship.

Beijing, Seoul, and Tokyo have agreed to cooperate more closely on free trade.

An erratic president means even long-term allies are on thin ice.

Judiciaries are under attack around the world.

Lula is doubling down on nonalignment and multilateralism during Trump’s second term.

The administration’s knee-jerk reactions are harming the world’s most vulnerable. A scholarship program was among the first on the chopping block.

The new approach, including the first known visit by U.S. officials to Kabul since 2021, comes down to transactionalism.

Private contracting is in the DNA of the modern state.

Both have harnessed industrialists for political ends.

If Turkey and Saudi Arabia follow Indonesia in joining the bloc, it could gain more geopolitical heft.

Geopolitical flash points, from Nauru to Greenland.

“Picnic at Hanging Rock” has kept audiences guessing for 50 years.

Supplying the world with power will enhance U.S. security.

Recent comments from the Indian leader suggest that he could be ready to usher in a new phase in bilateral ties.

DeepSeek has prompted midsize powers to get in the game.

‘Ne Zha 2’ shows audiences are growing tired of formulaic Western films.

Without credible U.S. security guarantees, nuclear proliferation is likely to increase rapidly across Europe and Asia.

A deadly war on drugs in the Philippines isn’t over.

Pyongyang says it is building a “strategic guided missile” submarine, but experts say the development may not be all it’s cracked up to be.

The org chart for a post-Westphalian world.

Despite a shoutout in the U.S. president’s speech last week, don’t expect a renewed security partnership.

Starlink and Coinbase just gained a foothold into the world’s second-largest internet user base.

Biden policymaker Rush Doshi on changes in the White House and why Beijing may be more likely to attack Taiwan.

‘Asura’ is impervious to a succinct pitch, which might be why too few people have seen it.

Beijing-backed groups are using Asian American concerns for leverage.

While U.S. allies worry, other states would welcome better great-power relations.

After Trump and Zelensky’s fiery meeting, New Delhi could find an opportunity to bolster other peace efforts.

Politicians in Australia, the U.K., and elsewhere are obfuscating the true cost of next-generation technologies.

Washington needs to foster innovation to beat Beijing.

Eighty years on, the focus on the atomic bombs overlooks the impact of the Tokyo air raid.

Kenneth Roth on why there’s a backlash against progressivism—and how to defend civil liberties.

Beijing makes hollow promises of nonintervention as it meddles with its neighbors.

The president’s demand that the Taliban return U.S. weaponry shows he is looking for new leverage.

Washington’s North Korea policy is at a dead end, and it’s time for something new.

TSMC is weighing its options after tariff threats.

Alibaba is trying to reshape itself to match Xi Jinping’s ambitions.

Washington can take steps now to avoid a catastrophe.

As Washington abandons allies and accommodates adversaries, New Delhi is in a sweet spot.

A metastasizing threat will only remain localized for so long.

Foreign Policy’s guide to the global state of (televised) romance.

Modi arrives in Washington to meet Trump as an especially confident leader.

The middle power has found a way to survive without bending the knee to Beijing.

From a British techno-dystopia to Berlin’s underground.

The two leaders’ bonhomie will continue if the Indian prime minister makes accommodations on trade and illegal immigration.

Despite the recent thaw in tensions, the bilateral relationship is poised to remain tumultuous in 2025.

He isn’t the first U.S. president to try to establish one, but the initiative faces several obstacles.

Six months after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s resignation, the public is growing impatient with the interim government.

The DeepSeek shock may reshape a global race.

Similar attempts to combine development and diplomacy worldwide have had mixed results.

The world’s pariah states are building their most lethal weapons using Western electronics.

Fans of impeached President Yoon Suk-yeol think Washington can save him.

A clash between president and parliament is eroding democratic legitimacy.

Countries are using travel to further geopolitical ambitions in key destinations.

New Delhi’s position as a net security provider makes it more likely to get off to a good start with the new White House.

A bargain between the two superpowers could preserve global peace. But what would it cost?

The Chinese AI lab has put to rest any illusion that Beijing is behind.

Beijing’s threats in the region have changed Manila’s approach to security.

The region is becoming a theme park for the Chinese nation.

New internet infrastructure helps Matsu Islanders cope with cable cuts.

The White House isn’t likely to prioritize the region at first, but a few moves could provide clues to its approach.

If the U.S. president is charged with impeding an investigation, it could make nearly all international visits a headache and a risk.

This time around, Modi and Trump should seize the opportunity to strike a substantial bilateral agreement.

As Myanmar’s military struggles to project strength along its borders, a sense of optimism prevails among the Karen National Liberation Army.

The president is under arrest, and the acting president is reluctant to act.

A renewed agreement may help stabilize a turbulent relationship.

The country’s women turned a movement into an uprising, but then were pushed aside.

Deepening engagement between India and the Taliban as well as Pakistan and Bangladesh, respectively, represents a new chapter in an old rivalry.

Beijing is happy with anything that helps Russia win and costs it nothing.

Washington shouldn’t overestimate its influence in Hanoi.

A rogue America is among the biggest threats of 2025.

From dystopian Korea to colonial Taiwan.

A conversation with the International Crisis Group’s Comfort Ero.

The Meta CEO’s U.S. political changes will have complicated global consequences. 

The blocking of the Nippon Steel bid for U.S. Steel has angered Tokyo and opens the door to politics as economics.

In New Delhi, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan seeks to foolproof some elements of the partnership.

Is it a protector of Hindu identity or a tool for extrajudicial violence?

The White House never met its own grandiose standards.

The Chinese-funded industry is a world leader, but safety hasn’t kept up.

Trump’s victory in the United States has raised the stakes for key global races, from Canada to Cameroon.

From Moldova to Mexico, these conflicts are currently flying under the radar but could emerge as major flash points.

From India’s relations with rivals to Sri Lanka’s democratic shift, here’s what to keep an eye on this year.

Readers followed the U.S. presidential election as well as coverage of the war in Ukraine, China’s military, and India’s role on the world stage.

The personalities who shaped politics this year.

FP examines the global legacies of those who died this year, from Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny to former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori.

The two-time former prime minister laid the foundations for India’s rapid growth. He was 92.

A diverse array of countries held national votes this year—but a single storyline stood out.

Tracking the region’s biggest surprises in 2024.

Foreign Policy’s best deep dives of the year.

FP’s five best podcast episodes of 2024.

A collapsing presidency may create surprising opportunities.