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Diplomacy & Crisis News

China’s New Viral App Asks: Are You Dead? 

TheDiplomat - Mon, 02/02/2026 - 15:20
Demumu’s success reveals a complex reality of solo living and changing social ties.

Record Trade Surplus Masks China’s Underlying Economic Weakness

TheDiplomat - Mon, 02/02/2026 - 14:54
China’s world-leading export surplus delivered headline growth in 2025, but slowing domestic demand, falling prices and doubts over data credibility point to an economy losing momentum beneath the surface.

CSTO Sends Weapons to Tajikistan to Secure Afghan Border

TheDiplomat - Mon, 02/02/2026 - 14:32
The decision to arm Tajikistan's border troops comes after months of cross-border attacks, but the CSTO's track record gives little reason for confidence.

What Justice Looks Like for Rohingya Women

TheDiplomat - Mon, 02/02/2026 - 13:50
For Rohingya women, the question is not whether violence can be legally defined or classified, but whether such naming alters the material conditions of their lives.

Moving the Australia-India Maritime Partnership Forward Through Coast Guard Cooperation

TheDiplomat - Mon, 02/02/2026 - 10:27
Institutionalizing engagements across their coast guard agencies can help strengthen the maritime security architecture of the Indo-Pacific.

Opinion • Balkans : il faut cesser la politique de l'autruche

Courrier des Balkans - Mon, 02/02/2026 - 09:29

Par Sébastien Gricourt
À ce jour, six États balkaniques sont engagés à des stades diversement avancés dans la voie de l'intégration européenne : Albanie, Bosnie-Herzégovine, Kosovo, Macédoine du Nord, Monténégro, Serbie. De cette région du sud-est européen à laquelle la perspective de l'intégration fut formalisée en 2003 après la décennie de conflits dans l'ex-Yougoslavie, la Slovénie — plus épargnée par la guerre et engagée plus tôt avec l'Union européenne — fut intégrée lors du grand (…)

- Libres opinions. L'espace de débat du Courrier des Balkans / ,

Rueben Dass on the Nexus Between Emerging Technologies and Terrorism in India

TheDiplomat - Mon, 02/02/2026 - 08:47
Commercial availability and ease of access to drone systems – particularly commercial-off-the-shelf drones – could increase their prominence in terror plots in India.

Cracks in India’s ‘Hindu Unity’

TheDiplomat - Mon, 02/02/2026 - 07:12
Tension between traditional spiritual authority and political Hindutva is growing. Religious leaders feel that the government is not sincere about the Hindu cause.

Unable or Unwilling?: Indonesia’s Failed Natural Disaster Response

TheDiplomat - Mon, 02/02/2026 - 05:26
The human and environmental impact of the recent floods in Sumatra is the result of years of ecological destruction and failures in disaster governance.

People’s Party Extends Lead in Polls Ahead of Thai General Election

TheDiplomat - Mon, 02/02/2026 - 05:21
The progressive party remains in pole position, but it remains to be seen whether it can win enough seats to form Thailand's next government.

Indonesia Stops Blocking Grok Chatbot After Assurances From Parent Company

TheDiplomat - Mon, 02/02/2026 - 01:08
Southeast Asian states' efforts to restrict the service may offer signs of how the region plans to regulate AI services going forward.

What Thai Political Parties Can – and Cannot – Say About Military Reform

TheDiplomat - Sun, 01/02/2026 - 22:08
Ahead of next week's election, the major parties' platforms reflect different conceptions of military reform as well as a growing convergence on key aspects of reform.

China’s Cheap Oil Strategy Is Becoming a Geopolitical Liability

TheDiplomat - Sun, 01/02/2026 - 21:38
Beijing’s reliance on discounted crude from Russia, Iran, and Venezuela is colliding with political reality, and the strains are starting to show.

The Downfall of General Zhang Youxia

TheDiplomat - Fri, 30/01/2026 - 20:40
What does the recent upheaval in the top ranks of China's military tell us about politics, security and Xi Jinping's China?

Succession Without a Successor: Kim Ju Ae as a Legitimacy Asset

TheDiplomat - Fri, 30/01/2026 - 19:30
North Korea may be preparing less for a next ruler than for the risks of transition.

Inside China’s Rerouted Supply Chains

TheDiplomat - Fri, 30/01/2026 - 19:22
New data shows that Chinese exporters are increasingly transiting goods through lower-tariff trade partners. But is the practice legal? 

China’s Tech Regulation Paradox Amid Great Power Competition

TheDiplomat - Fri, 30/01/2026 - 19:10
Beijing’s efforts to tighten control over technology outflows are increasingly in tension with the need to sustain domestic innovation and global competitiveness.

Why China Should Consider Joining Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’

TheDiplomat - Fri, 30/01/2026 - 16:57
Non-participation carries costs, both for China’s influence in the Middle East and for its broader role in shaping an emerging mechanism of global governance.

Why Bipartisanship Is Taiwan’s Best Defense in Paraguay (and Beyond) 

TheDiplomat - Fri, 30/01/2026 - 16:32
Taipei's strategy built a relationship almost exclusively with Paraguay’s Colorado Party, while neglecting opposition actors. That's not a recipe for long-term success.

Japan’s Quiet Partnership With Rwanda and the Limits of Non-Conditional Aid

TheDiplomat - Fri, 30/01/2026 - 16:32
As Western donors increasingly tie development aid to political conditions, Japan’s quiet partnership with Rwanda raises a question: Can Tokyo translate quiet development cooperation into real diplomatic influence?

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