Southeast Asia

Send the Nukes Back to South Korea

At the stroke of a pen, President Obama could reassure a key ally and put Pyongyang back in its box. Here’s how.

BY BENNETT RAMBERG | MAY 6, 2013

Ghostbusters

Malaysia’s pro-democracy activists might not win Sunday’s election. But they could win the battle against electoral fraud.

BY DEBORAH LOH | APRIL 30, 2013

You Can't Go Home Again

An exiled journalist returns to a changed Burma.

BY MIN ZIN | MAY/JUNE 2013

Weren't Buddhists Supposed to Be Pacifists?

Their religion may stress peace, but some Buddhists are showing that they’re entirely capable of violence in the name of faith.

BY CHRISTIAN CARYL | APRIL 23, 2013

The Monks Who Hate Muslims

Buddhist monks have been major instigators of the recent violence against Muslims in Burma.

BY FRANCIS WADE | APRIL 22, 2013

Why I'm Flying Back to Malaysia to Vote

When absentee voting just isn’t good enough.

BY HUI MEI LIEW KAISER | APRIL 18, 2013

Cramming for That Next Big Test in Democracy

In Burma, members of the pro-democracy opposition are struggling to school themselves in the ins and outs of a liberal society. But so far it's an uphill battle.

BY ERIC RANDOLPH | APRIL 16, 2013

The Enabler

The only way to stop Pyongyang's cycle of brinkmanship and extortion is to address the real problem -- South Korea.

BY EDWARD LUTTWAK | APRIL 12, 2013

Peas in a Rotting Pod

How Kim Jong Un is like Bashar al-Assad, and why being in way over his head could lead to war.

BY JACK GOLDSTONE | APRIL 11, 2013

The Princess of Reform

Why the daughter of Malaysia’s opposition leader embodies the hopes of the democratic reform movement.

BY DEBORAH LOH | APRIL 10, 2013

The Tip of the Democracy Spear

The U.S. military doesn’t exactly have an unblemished record when it comes to promoting democracy. Is there a way to change that?

BY CHRISTIAN CARYL | MARCH 21, 2013

The Tangled Tale of Malaysia's Dirty Battleground State

How an ex-British prime minister’s sister-in-law, a headhunter’s grandson, dodgy PR firms, and a Malaysian kingpin are colliding in a fight over the future of democracy.

BY CHRISTIAN CARYL | MARCH 13, 2013

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

Democracy is in retreat. And there's a surprising culprit.

BY JOSHUA KURLANTZICK | MARCH 4, 2013

There is no Indonesia Model for the Arab Spring

Yes, Muslim-majority Indonesia has made a successful transition to democracy. But no, that doesn’t make it an example for the Arab Spring.

BY TOM PEPINSKY | FEBRUARY 27, 2013

Forget the Flowers and Candy

Images from the women's rights rallies that have been taking place around the world this week.

BY NEHA PALIWAL | FEBRUARY 14, 2013

Startup Sovereigns

Statehood ain't what it used to be.

BY PARAG KHANNA, SAWSAN GAD | FEBRUARY 8, 2013

Westward Ho!

As America pivots east, China marches in the other direction.

BY YUN SUN | FEBRUARY 7, 2013

The First Lab Results Are In

Democracy Lab is celebrating its first anniversary. Here are some of the things we've learned over the past year -- and where we're headed in year two.

BY CHRISTIAN CARYL | JANUARY 31, 2013

Broken Tooth and New Macau

How China crushed the triad gangs and created the world's new gambling Mecca.

BY BENJAMIN CARLSON | JANUARY 28, 2013

Seizing the Moment

The world’s leading nations are convening a meeting on the fight against corruption. Here’s what they ought to be discussing.

BY LAURENCE COCKCROFT | JANUARY 22, 2013

Has China Lost Myanmar?

As Myanmar’s messy democracy turns to the West, Beijing debates stirring up ethnic tensions to rile the government and maintain its leverage.

BY YUN SUN | JANUARY 15, 2013

Indonesia: Stop Chopping, Start Learning

Indonesia has been coasting on its natural wealth for too long. Now it's time to start investing in the country's people.

BY JONATHAN PINCUS | JANUARY 9, 2013

The Year in Unfreedom

An encouraging number of the world's people voted in 2012. But voting does not a democracy make.

BY CHRISTIAN CARYL | JANUARY 4, 2013

Four Surprises That Could Rock Asia in 2013

Are we paying attention to the wrong crises?

BY MICHAEL MAZZA | JANUARY 3, 2013

Babies Wanted

A look at the 10 countries with the lowest fertility rates in the world.

BY ELIZABETH F. RALPH | JANUARY 2, 2013

Dynasty

Why are so many Asian countries run by families?

BY ISAAC STONE FISH | DECEMBER 20, 2012

Ripe for Rivalry

Has Asia's moment of reckoning finally arrived?

BY VICTOR D. CHA | DECEMBER 12, 2012

India's Ocean

Could New Delhi's growing naval force change the balance of power in the Pacific? 

BY DHRUVA JAISHANKAR | DECEMBER 6, 2012

We Were Pirates, Too

Why America was the China of the 19th century. 

BY CHARLES R. MORRIS | DECEMBER 5, 2012

The Migrant Money Machine

The developed world could make a big difference to the global economy simply by helping migrants to do what comes naturally: send money home.

BY PETER PASSELL | DECEMBER 4, 2012