Politics
South Korea in recovery mode
Is a clampdown on free expression the legacy of President Yoon Suk Yeol's attempt in 2024 to declare martial law? Or is it, as current president Lee Jae-myung's party argues, a necessary measure to restore the people's trust in government? Ifang Bremer reports from Seoul.
Iran: A deal that feels like betrayal
The ceasefire announced in mid-June between Iran and the US, and signing by both of a memorandum of understanding, raised hopes for an end to the war. Full-scale war may have ceased, but a game of ‘tit for tat’ for control of the Strait of Hormuz is underway between the combatants: Iran strikes at passing ships, the US hits Iranian missile bases or boats, and Iran responds by targeting US bases on the western side of the Gulf. Meanwhile Fariba Sahraei has been finding out how the memorandum of understanding has been received inside Iran.
Today’s Pakistan: peacemaking abroad, insurgency at home
Pakistan’s army chief has been in the limelight as a peace broker on the international stage. But there are no talks or mediation for dissent at home, as Umber Khairi reports.
Two years on from Bangladesh’s August rebellion
In theory, last February’s national election has restored Bangladesh’s democracy after a period of authoritarian rule was ended by the July-August 2024 protest. In practice polling has restored the once powerful Bangladesh Nationalist Party, founded by former president Ziaur Rahman, and now led by Tarique Rahman. Long-time Bangladesh watcher Nicholas Nugent considers to what extent democracy has been restored.
Tension in Prabowo’s Indonesia
The head of the country’s controversial and wildly expensive ‘free’ school meals programme is dismissed. Then the country’s chief prosecutor resigned after gold bars were found in his home, amid suggestions of large-scale corruption. What is going on in South East Asia’s largest economy? Joseph Rachman reports.
India’s cockroach swarm: youth anger and democracy’s warning signal
In May an unexpected political emblem emerged in India’s increasingly restless democratic landscape: the cockroach. An insect commonly associated with filth, nuisance and extermination was transformed into a symbol of resistance after the Chief Justice of India likened unemployed young activists and online critics to ‘cockroaches’ and ‘parasites’. What might have passed as an insensitive remark sparked an extraordinary act of political reclamation. Within hours, the insult was transformed into a rallying cry. Madhavi Ravikumar reports.
Bangladesh’s Rohingya community: a crisis without an exit
When Bangladesh’s new BNP-led government assumed office, Rohingya refugees once again found themselves listening closely to the language of power in Dhaka. The familiar words had returned: repatriation, shortage of funds, national security, and international cooperation. Sushmita S Preetha reports from Dhaka.
Kyrgyzstan’s ruling tandem breaks amid new sanctions scrutiny
Kyrgyzstan kickstarted summer with a diplomatic triumph, becoming the second Central Asian state after Kazakhstan to win a non-permanent UN Security Council seat. But new European Union sanctions over trade with Russia and the collapse of the republic’s ruling ‘tandem’ have added a fresh dose of risk for a country where trouble is never far away, as Chris Rickleton reports.
The China-fication of Vietnam
From the history archives to the state media to the presidency, something is happening in Vietnam. New rules, new restrictions and new structures all point to a change in the political system, as Bill Hayton reports.
Cambodia cracks down, but scam networks move on
Cambodia wants to show the world it is finally cleaning up its multibillion-dollar scam economy. But locals and experts warn that the syndicates’ roots remain deep, and that the business is dispersing across Southeast Asia rather than disappearing. Nyein Chan Aye reports.
Remembering Tiananmen
In China, June 4th is a sensitive date. As the anniversary approaches, an old ritual unfolds: censors spring into action, social media posts disappear and searches for ‘Tiananmen’, ‘June Fourth’, ‘1989’ are scrubbed from the internet. Activists are placed under surveillance, while foreign journalists mark an event that officially never happened. For the writer and former factory worker Lijia Zhang, the date holds special significance.
Power lines across the Himalayas
For much of the past two decades, South Asia’s energy security has been defined by distance, particularly its dependence on oil and gas imports from the Gulf. Recent volatility in the Middle East has added urgency to a quieter, longer-term trend: the push to trade electricity across the region’s own borders. Udisha Saklani reports.
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