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Eastern and Southern Asia


The Thailand - Cambodia Flare-Up Explained
In early December 2025, one of Southeast Asia’s most persistent territorial disputes surged into intense armed conflict, as Thailand and Cambodia exchanged artillery fire, airstrikes and rocket attacks along their shared border. This renewed violence has killed dozens of soldiers and civilians, as well as displacing thousands of people, and drawn urgent calls from regional and global powers for a ceasefire. Despite ongoing talks meant to halt the hostilities, and a peace deal

Espen Kjønø
6 days ago3 min read


Japan-China Rift over Taiwan underscores Asia’s Ukraine Moment
On November 7, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi responded to a question from an opposition lawmaker, stating that 'a contingency in Taiwan is a contingency for Japan.' Most importantly, she warned that a Chinese attack on Taiwan would pose an 'existential threat' to Japan. As a result, Japan’s Self-Defense Forces would need to conduct 'collective defense' operations alongside its allies. The speech enraged China and set off a chain of reactions. The strong rebuttal and

Phoebe Chow
Nov 23, 20252 min read
Takaichi flaunts SMART power, “Japan is back”
“ Ladies and gentlemen, Japan is back .” In a 2013 address to the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington D.C., the late former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe declared as much. He refuted the paper published by 5 writers including Joseph Nye, to investigate whether Japan would end up becoming a Tier-two nation. Abe made a pledge that Japan will come back as a leader in the Indo-Pacific region and “Abeconomic” will prevail. 12 years count on, the then

Phoebe Chow
Nov 9, 20254 min read
A Realist Perspective: Why Great Powers recognise Palestine but not Taiwan
Traditional great powers such as the United Kingdom and France dropped a bombshell by formally recognising Palestine , a move soon followed by announcements from Australia, Canada, and Portugal in September, “to keep alive the possibility of peace and a two-state solution”, as said by the UK’s PM Keir Starmer in a video statement on X. Similarly, some called the move a hypocrisy while comparing it to the struggle of Taiwan (ROC). This short article will examine the recogniti

Phoebe Chow
Oct 26, 20253 min read
Sanae Takaichi: Japan’s Hope for a Strong Comeback?
Japan is set to hold a prime ministerial vote on the 20th, to determine if Liberal Democratic Party (LDP)’s leader Sanae Takaichi is to be the country’s first female prime minister. Even as this piece is being written, reports indicate that the Komeito Party (KM) has announced its 25-year coalition with LDP. With its 24 seats, Komeito has declared it will not back Takaichi, leaving the ruling party to rely on its own 196 votes. Still, with opposition groups—the Constitutional

Phoebe Chow
Oct 12, 20252 min read
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