The Berlin Wall is one testament to Germany's history as a country caught between superpowers. Getty
Germany is carving its own path in the world's 'new Cold War'

Berlin clearly sees that a rules-based world doesn't have to require choosing a side

April 10, 2024, 4:00 AM
An unmanned robot in downtown Tokyo, on March 5. AFP
Japan is boosting its chip-making but it's at a crossroads

Japan is trying to reinvent itself amid geopolitical uncertainties by launching an ambitious semiconductor plan with Taiwan and the US

March 08, 2024, 7:00 AM
A vendor stands by his decorations shop in Hanoi. Vietnam's economy grew by more than 5 per cent in 2023. AFP
How Vietnam turned US-China competition to its advantage

Thanks to its deft diplomatic manoeuvres, Hanoi has found itself in a strategic sweet spot

January 04, 2024, 7:00 AM
Philippines Vice President Sara Duterte greets her father, outgoing president Rodrigo Duterte, and her mother, Elizabeth Zimmerman, during her inauguration ceremony in Davao City in June 2022. EPA
Two Filipino dynasties have dropped their pretences of unity

The Duterte-Marcos alliance has ended as President Marcos Jr has emerged as the greatest threat to his predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte

December 14, 2023, 4:00 AM
Palestine Authority President Mahmoud Abbas shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing in June. Getty Images
As the Israel-Gaza war rages on, China has taken up the cudgels for Palestine

Beijing might be opening a new frontier in its competition with Washington

November 08, 2023, 7:00 AM
Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr attends the East Asia Summit in Jakarta last month. AFP
The Philippines' post-pandemic economic bounce is over

The President needs to get a couple of things right, as he faces a challenging second year in office

October 05, 2023, 5:00 AM
Philippine president Ferdinand Marcos Jr, left, and outgoing president Rodrigo Duterte, right, at the Malacanang Presidential Palace grounds in Manila in June 2022. AP Photo
Is the US-China rivalry fuelling a proxy war inside the Philippines?

Foreign policy is dominating a very public feud between the country's two most powerful dynasties

August 30, 2023, 2:00 PM
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr is actively pursuing tighter defence and economic ties with traditional allies, most notably the US. Bloomberg
Philippines President has to up his game

A year after taking office, his governing coalition is being undermined by factionalism

July 21, 2023, 5:00 AM
President Sheikh Mohamed greets South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife Kim Keon-hee at Qasr Al Watan, Abu Dhabi in January. UAE Presidential Court
What explains South Korea's warming ties with the Middle East?

After years of hibernation, the economic powerhouse is transforming into a major strategic player

June 29, 2023, 5:00 AM
Pita Limjaroenrat, leader of the Move Forward Party, during a meeting of coalition parties in Bangkok, Thailand, on Monday, May 22, 2023.  Thailand's pro-democracy parties signed a pact to form the countrys next government after a historic win in the May 14 election, a step seen crucial to gather support for Move Forwards Pita Limjaroenrat to become prime minister. Photographer: Valeria Mongelli / Bloomberg
Election winner Pita Limjaroenrat wants to change Thailand forever, if Thais will let him

The MF party's youthful leader could become prime minister, but the challenges he faces to get there are huge

May 25, 2023, 7:00 AM
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken treated to a performance at Binh Minh Jazz Club in Hanoi on April 15, 2023. AFP
Middle powers grappling with US-China rivalry could follow Vietnam's example

Non-alignment is getting more difficult, but Hanoi has become a master of 'multi-alignment'

May 03, 2023, 2:00 PM
Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force escort ship Kurama navigates behind destroyer Yudachi with a rising sun flag. AP
What Japan's assertive foreign policy means for the Middle East

Once shackled by its pacifist constitution, Tokyo could play a more pivotal role in the region

March 16, 2023, 2:00 PM
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr during a summit in Brussels last December. Reuters
Is Marcos Jr aiding a new Cold War in the Indo-Pacific?

The Philippine president has inadvertently injected his country into the deepening US-China rivalry

February 17, 2023, 7:00 AM
Chinese lanterns in Shenyang, capital of northeast China's Liaoning Province, to depict the year of the rabbit. EPA
Emerging powers in Asia will play a role in keeping global 'polycrisis' in check

With the world facing a 'polycrisis', coolers heads will ensure stability on the world's largest continent

January 25, 2023, 2:00 PM
The guided-missile cruiser USS Chancellorsville transits the Philippine Sea. AP Photo
In 2022, Asia's middle powers ensured all was quiet in the Indo-Pacific

The upshot is a more manageable US-China competition, rather than a mutually destructive conflict

December 23, 2022, 9:00 AM