Indo-Pacific

The potential global impact of the coronavirus outbreak

By David A. Wemer

Beijing “must act" to contain the coronavirus outbreak, Miyeon Oh says, "especially in light of the indirect but potentially massive economic, social, and political impacts of the coronavirus in the region and around the world.” There is growing concern in Beijing as well, Robert A. Manning added, “that if this pandemic is only in its early stages, it could become the straw that broke the camel’s back for an already anemic economy.”

Davos dispatch: Has China won?

By Frederick Kempe

2020 could mark a significant year for the emerging, generational clash between democratic and authoritarian capitalism.

China’s Persian Gulf strategy: Keep Tehran and Riyadh content

By Julia Gurol and Jacopo Scita

The current tensions between Washington and Tehran have been a major stress test for China’s Persian Gulf strategy.

Europe to take center stage in global trade talks

By Hung Tran

With the “phase one” trade deal behind them, the United States and China will now probably shift attention to sorting out their economic and trade relationships with Europe. Caught in the middle of the US-China trade war and geopolitical competition, the European Union (EU) has tried to steer an independent course, balancing security and geopolitical concerns with economic and business needs. Doing so, however, has exposed many differences vis-a-vis the United States as well as China.

“Go forth and set the world on fire”

As the world rages around the raging fires, I have to wonder: Is this the moment where we will finally see the forest for the trees? Why are we continuing to look into a crystal ball, as if the climate crisis is somehow our future, when it’s so glaringly clear that it is our present?

The Pakistani courts strike back

By Fatima Salman

The historic sentencing in December of former dictator and president Pervez Musharraf was a blow to the military’s image and directly questions its unequivocal authority over shaping Pakistan’s political life—even if it is only symbolic. In a rare streak of defiance, the country’s courts are pushing back against a traditionally powerful and popular establishment hoping to inch the country from a seemingly illiberal to a more liberal democracy.