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15 December 2024
Left: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (Reuters); Right: Many homes in Be'eri, a kibbutz near Gaza that was attacked by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, display photos of family members who were abducted during the assault. (Photo by Hiroyuki Akita)
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, left, shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a signing ceremony in Beijing on Nov. 9. 
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Active diplomacy of Indonesia's new president carries its own risks

Prabowo's South China Sea faux pas highlights inexperience, limits of top-down approach

8 December 2024
The tariff plans of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump seem to have raised concerns among many Asian leaders, given that nine of the top 15 nations and regions with the largest trade deficits with the U.S. in 2023 are in Asia.
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Asia prepares for Trump 2.0 and end of U.S-centric economic order

Higher tariffs could drive many in the region toward BRICS and the Global South

1 December 2024
Possible infighting in Washington under the new Trump administration could make it tougher for Western allies to coordinate on issues such as Ukraine. (Source photos by Reuters)
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Looming discord in Washington under Trump would only benefit China

Russia and North Korea also stand to gain from U.S. diplomatic disarray

30 November 2024
President Xi Jinping elevated the China-Europe express freight train network into a national project. (Source photos by Yuri Momoi, Sputnik via Reuters)
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China advances economic security with plan to revive modern Silk Road

China-Europe rail link provides alternative supply chain to Indo-Pacific bloc

26 November 2024
Singles Day discounts pictured in a store at a Beijing shopping mall on Nov. 11.
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What China's lackluster Singles Day says about Xi Jinping and deflation

Government appears content to let prices stay depressed

19 November 2024
From left, Chinese President Xi Jinping, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. (Source photos by Reuters)
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How U.S. allies can make the best of Trump's return

They should leverage his MAGA agenda to their own advantage

17 November 2024
Pundits worry that new Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto may reverse the country’s democratic progress, following a pattern similar to Thailand, which began its democratization a decade earlier than its key ASEAN rival.
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Will Prabowo save or destroy democracy in Indonesia?

New president appears eager to uphold current norms, but critics remain skeptical

11 November 2024
Donald Trump's affinity for authoritarian leaders could heighten the risk of a major global conflict once he returns to the White House.
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With Trump's return, U.S. allies need Plan B for security

Asian and European nations must provide for own defense amid risk of war

8 November 2024
Left: Ukraine has released a video purportedly showing North Korean soldiers at a military facility in Russia; North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, right, inspects a missile launch site at an undisclosed location within North Korea. (Source photos by KCNA/Kyodo)
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North Korea's latest belligerence is aimed at next U.S. president

Kim Jong Un hopes to keep South Korea away from any negotiations with Washington

6 November 2024
The 120 billion baht One Bangkok commercial complex opened in October to major economic headwinds. (Photo by Yuki Kohara)
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Thailand PM faces household debt fueled by past 'Thaksinomics'

Programs under Paetongtarn Shinawatra's aunt encouraged excessive borrowing

5 November 2024
Protesters gather across the street from a rally for Donald Trump in Madison Square Garden.
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The U.S. has forgotten how to sing the song of democracy

Presidential race highlights how disillusionment chips away at democratic norms

5 November 2024
Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, speaks with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, on Oct. 24. Putin's deal to use North Korean soldiers in Ukraine might have Xi worried. (Pool photo via Reuters)
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Why the West should focus on dividing the China-Russia bloc now

Winning back BRICS aspirants, perhaps with economic incentives, is also crucial

3 November 2024
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba sits for an interview at the prime minister's office in Tokyo on Oct. 12. (Photo by Sae Kamae)
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Japan PM's 'Asian NATO' plan was pitched by U.S. during Cold War

'Pacific Pact' was doomed by lack of buy-in, with prospects even dimmer now

22 October 2024
Mount Fuji rises behind the Tokyo skyline.
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A smaller Japan should aim for bigger global role as 'network power'

No matter who wins the White House, Tokyo faces a new world

20 October 2024
From left: North Korea's Kim, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi. Their expanding military cooperation in Ukraine and beyond could pose a significant threat to the chances for global peace. (Nikkei montage/Photos from Reuters)
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China and North Korea boost Russian military ties to uncharted levels

Moscow turns to Pyongyang for Ukraine war support, ramps up drills with Beijing

19 October 2024
Tourists in traditional Korean dress pose in front of Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul.
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Han Kang's Nobel win reflects Korean embrace of history's tragedies

Modern events and societal pressures inspire South Korean author's books

19 October 2024
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris has not been leaning into the fact that she would be the first female president if elected in November. (Photo by Masahiro Okoshi)
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U.S. election shows male chauvinism haunting 'land of opportunity'

Aggrieved men across demographic lines gravitate toward Trump as gender divide widens

18 October 2024
Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and Chinese President Xi Jinping are both seeking to expand their countries' influence in Georgia, located in the South Caucasus, a key corridor linking Asia and Europe on the vast Eurasian continent. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by AP and Reuters) 
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Russia and China ramp up covert meddling in Georgian democracy

Moscow uses threats while Beijing wields economic power to intrude in local affairs

13 October 2024
Japan’s new prime minister, Shigeru Ishiba, right, has gained popularity in South Korea for opposing the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Uichiro Kasai and AP)
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South Korea welcomes 'anti-Abe' Ishiba as Japan's new leader

But high expectations could lead to bitter disappointment

8 October 2024
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made a series of miscalculations in his attempts to strengthen the country’s ties with neighboring nations. 
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Misguided foreign policy has left India friendless in South Asia

Chinese rivalry has blinded Modi to adverse political trends in nearby nations

7 October 2024
President Xi Jinping's government is seen as fanning anti-foreign sentiment as people grow frustrated with the economy. 
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Shenzhen attack's aftermath reveals cracks in China's governing power

Anti-foreigner sentiment grows along with public frustration over economy

2 October 2024
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan makes a video address to a summit in Kyiv on Sept. 11, with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy, center, looking on. (Pool photo via Reuters)
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Erdogan intensifies diplomatic chess to boost Turkey's independence

Turkish leader looking to exploit tensions between West and Russia

23 September 2024
If the Fed decides to make more large interest rate cuts, it could became harder for the BOJ to raise rates further. (Photo by Suzu Takahashi)
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BOJ faces tricky path toward a rate hike as Fed goes other way

No recent precedence of Japan's central bank raising rates amid U.S. cuts

21 September 2024
Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra arrives with her father, former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, at the Pheu Thai Party headquarters in Bangkok on Aug. 18, ahead of a royal endorsement ceremony for her cabinet. 
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Can new Thaksinist government save Thailand from economic malaise?

Cabinet led by Thaksin's daughter gives former PM a chance to prove his mettle

15 September 2024
The China policy of U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, right, is relatively unclear compared with that of former President Donald Trump. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Reuters)
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Could a Kamala Harris victory benefit China?

U.S. might pursue both confrontation and cooperation with Beijing

7 September 2024
Central bank moves to aid stock prices risk sowing the seeds of future market instability.
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Crashes hold lesson for central banks: keep markets at arm's length

From Fed's Greenspan to BOJ's Ueda, investor-friendly moves often take a toll

2 September 2024
Sheikh Hasina, who clung to power as Bangladesh's prime minister for 15 straight years, was the world's longest-serving female head of government.
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The downfall of Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh's 'Iron Lady'

Daughter of country's independence hero became an authoritarian ruler

24 August 2024
North Korea's leader, Kim Jong Un, made a keynote address at an undisclosed location to mark the delivery of 250 new tactical ballistic missiles on Aug. 4. 
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What does North Korea have in store for the next U.S. president?

Pyongyang couches hopes for better ties in hard-line rhetoric

18 August 2024
Chinese President Xi Jinping, center, poses with leaders of Arab nations before the opening of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum in Beijing on May 30. (Pool photo by Reuters)
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How China's peace diplomacy could endanger global stability

Beijing prioritizes showcasing its power over achieving lasting peace

14 August 2024