Blogs

Asia Unbound

CFR fellows and other experts assess the latest issues emerging in Asia today.

Latest Post

Printed Chinese and Japanese flags are seen in this illustration
Printed Chinese and Japanese flags are seen in this illustration Reuters/Dado Ruvic/Illustration

Crises May Now Drive Japan’s Relations With China

Crises are not new to the Japan-China relationship, but their impact only grows.

Read More
Thailand
Thailand and Cambodia’s Ceasefire: Will It Stop War When Elites Want Conflict?
While Thailand and Cambodia have reached a temporary ceasefire in their border conflict, it is unlikely to hold as the conflict’s escalation is driven by Thai and Cambodian elites’ efforts to consolidate military and political power.
Southeast Asia
Trump Makes Some Apparent Trade Deals in Asia, but Could be Poisoning the Waters Long Term
President Donald Trump announced trade deals with Japan, the Philippines, and Indonesia this week. But the needle may not have moved much when it comes to swaying Southeast Asia from China's economic influence.
Japan
What’s Next? Japanese Voters Hand the LDP Yet Another Loss
Japan’s voters dealt Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) with yet another devastating blow on Sunday, the second electoral loss since coming into office last fall.
  • Japan
    A U.S.-Japan Trade Impasse as Ishiba Faces Another Election
    The stakes are unusually high in Sunday’s Upper House election in Japan.
  • Southeast Asia
    Will Southeast Asia Help Trump Build a Wall Against Chinese Exports?
    President Donald Trump’s strategy of using Southeast Asian nations as an economic “wall” against Chinese exports has attracted renewed attention after the apparent finalization of a U.S.-Vietnam trade deal on July 2.  
  • Thailand
    The Last Days of Thailand’s Shinawatra Dynasty
    The outcome a no-confidence vote planned in parliament this week in Thailand may represent a fundamental reconfiguration of its political order.
  • Myanmar
    Organized Crime Is Thriving in Myanmar’s Civil War—and It’s a Global Threat
    Myanmar has become, by some estimates, the current center for global organized crime following the 2021 coup and now meets the definition of a failed state. 
  • Philippines
    The Philippines’ Dynasties are Going Scorched-Earth on Each Other: How Will the Country Fare?
    The Philippines’ Marcos-Duterte war is worsening. It will have destabilizing effects on the Southeast Asian nation.
  • Thailand
    Renowned Academic Paul Chambers Flees Thailand: Does Bangkok Really Get What it Wants?
    Paul Chambers’ arrest and flight highlight Thailand’s tightening authoritarianism, even as youth-driven calls for reform continue to gain momentum.