Headlines

Myanmar’s scam centers are America’s problem too

The rise of scam centers across Southeast Asia, particularly in Myanmar and Cambodia, has put a spotlight on existing economic inequalities and how these vulnerabilities are preyed upon to exploit the most vulnerable. With American losses funding the system, US consumer fraud

Asia

US and Iran could find common cause in shredding UNCLOS

For the past 46 years, Washington treated the Strait of Hormuz as a defensive line to be shored up in the service of unimpeded global commerce. But US President Donald Trump has frequently wavered on that orthodox position, shaming European and regional allies for not doing

Asia

Sulfur squeeze: Gulf chaos is coming for Asia’s food prices

Fertilizer input stress is beginning to rebuild upstream as shipping disruptions continue to constrain flows through critical energy and chemical corridors. Recent developments across Middle Eastern routes, namely the blockades at the Strait of Hormuz, combined with tightening

Asia

How US and Iran could step back from the brink

Donald Trump’s deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face a renewal of American bombardment was due to expire this week, but was extended at the last moment, this time with no defined time limit. But the risk of renewed escalation remains real, as both sides

Asia

Is China’s soft power rising, or is America’s just crumbling?

Soft power is notoriously hard to quantify, but it’s difficult to argue that global soft power has been shifting steadily toward East Asia in recent decades. A few years ago, I wrote a post about how South Korea became a cultural superpower on purpose, while Japan became one by

Asia