• Sun-01-2025
Mongolia Pitches Plan to Build New Capital From Scratch (November 4, 2024, The Diplomat) (Subscription required)

After more than a century of existence, the city was toppled by invading forces, but the Mongols never forgot their ancient capital. Now Mongolian leaders say they want to build a new city in the valley close to the ancient ruins and make it their new seat of government.

  • Sun-01-2025
Efforts to end Kurdish militant conflict in Turkey face Syria test (January 10, 2025, Reuters)

Jailed militant leader signalled readiness to halt conflict. Pro-Kurdish party discussing proposals with other parties. Fall of Assad in Syria transforms the dynamics of any peace process. Harsh government rhetoric fuels skepticism among Kurds. More than 40,000 people have been killed in conflict

  • Sun-01-2025
People power's unfinished work: Can Bangladesh be an exception? (December 21, 2024, NPR Network)

This past summer, students mobilized against what they viewed as unfair job quotas. After security forces cracked down viciously, their movement morphed into a mass anti-government campaign that culminated in the ouster of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. While people power movements upend politics, they often fail to produce lasting democratic change. Bangladesh has a chance to be an exception — but it won't be easy.

  • Sun-01-2025
Azerbaijan Calls Neighboring Armenia ‘Fascist’ – New War on Horizon? (January 8, 2025, Kyiv Post)

“Since this country has been ruled for almost 30 years by carriers of fascist ideology, they have shaped this country in their own image. Therefore, fascism must be destroyed. It will be destroyed either by the Armenian leadership or by us. We have no other choice…”

  • Tue-01-2025
Lebanon: Towards the election of the President of the Republic, the parties still seeking consensus (January 3, 2025, Agenzia Nova)

Lebanon is facing a serious political impasse as the date of the parliamentary session to elect the president of the Republic approaches without a consensus on a figure capable of reviving the country's fortunes. Despite the efforts of international actors such as France, the United States and Saudi Arabia, it has not been possible to define a common position.

  • Tue-01-2025
Q&A: Leader of Myanmar’s shadow government talks civil war strategy in 2025 (January 4, 2025, Al Jazeera)

Fighting has escalated and the military regime, which calls itself the State Administration Council (SAC), has suffered mounting defeats. It has responded to the loss of control over border regions and swaths of territory to opposition forces with indiscriminate air attacks and atrocities against civilians.

  • Sun-01-2025
Top Stories 2024: South China Sea Flashpoints (January 10, 2025, U.S. Naval Institute)

Throughout the year, numerous incidents involving dangerous maritime maneuvers, water cannons, and aerial interceptions occurred around and above other South China Sea maritime features, including the long-disputed Scarborough Shoal.

  • Sun-01-2025
Why China Needs Comprehensive Welfarism (January 11, 2025, Modern Diplomacy)

The assertion that “without a well-functioning economy, political stability cannot be achieved” may sound all too cliché, yet it is certainly true. In the context of China, many of the nation’s challenges are deeply rooted in economic issues.

  • Sun-01-2025
Hong Kong top judges told to ‘stop complicity in police state’ (January 8, 2025, The Straits Times)

A jailed Hong Kong activist on Jan 8 told five top judges to stop their “complicity” in a “police state”, an unusually direct rebuke that highlights a growing credibility crisis for the city’s courts.

  • Tue-01-2025
China Is Building More Prisons for Xi's Political Enemies—Report (December 30, 2024, Newsweek)

Analysts have said China's existing anti-graft crackdown has served as a tool for Xi to eliminate political rivals. Academics have called Xi's new expanded detention processes "deeply disturbing."