Asia In-Depth

In 2024, over half the world’s population has been voting for new leaders – or will do so very soon.In Asia, countries from Bangladesh to Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, Japan, and Indonesia, end this year with other leaders than the one they started it with (though not all through general elections). So do the EU, the UK and, in January 2025, the U.S.. James Crabtree, TOY senior fellow at Asia Society Policy Institute and Asia Society Switzerland, joins us to dissect the impacts these le...

As India’s economy continues to grow, can the world’s most populous country truly replicate China's success of the past decades? Should India even imitate China? Maybe not, says our guest on this episode, Alicia García Herrero, Hong Kong-based Chief Economist for Asia-Pacific at French investment bank Natixis, and Senior Fellow at European think tank Breugel. Alicia discusses the key differences between the two countries, talks about if the world is even looking for a new China, and prov...

As tensions simmer in its immediate environment, Japan is on high alert. In the midst ofChina's "sustained aggressiveness," Japan is revising its defense and security policies.But how does this align with its pacifist constitution, and is there still room forengagement with China? Hear from Yuki Tatsumi, senior fellow and co-chair of the EastAsia Program, and director of the Japan Program at the Stimson Center in Washington,DC.Yuki sheds light on Japan's historical approach to China, the curr...

Two human rights experts and members of the Special Advisory Council for Myanmar, Yanghee Lee and Chris Sidoti, join Asia Society Executive Vice President and Asia Society Policy Institute Senior Fellow Debra Eisenman to discuss the current state of play in Myanmar, where effective control of the country lies, and prospects and recommendations for the future.Myanmar, a country of over 50 million people, which was under military rule for decades and has been embroiled in a more than 70-year ci...

With over 970 million eligible voters, the ongoing Indian elections mark the world's largest democratic exercise. As the six-week-long election process unfolds, Farwa Aamer, director of South Asia Initiatives at the Asia Society Policy Institute, sits down with Dr. Ronojoy Sen, senior research fellow and research lead in Politics, Society, and Governance at the Institute of South Asian Studies and the South Asian Studies Program at the National University of Singapore, to discuss the key fact...

May 14, 2024 — Dr. Jenny Wang, nationally recognized psychologist and author on the intersections of mental health, Asian American identity, and racial trauma, discusses strategies for both Asian and non-Asian communities to prioritize mental health, reshape limiting narratives, and progress towards personal and collective freedom and autonomy. Kanika Chadda Gupta, seasoned CNN television journalist and podcaster, moderates the conversation. (55 min., 56 sec.)

Views of China in Central and Eastern Europe range from Hungary, eager to be Beijing’s best friend, to the adverse Baltics. Hear Warsaw-based China analyst Alicja Bachulska on the unique experiences Beijing has with the region, and how this could contribute to a more robust European China policy. This episode is from Asia Society Switzerland's STATE OF ASIA podcast, bringing you exclusive, engaging conversations with leading minds on issues that shape Asia and affect us all. More info an...

Managing Director Rorry Daniels interviews Asia Society President and CEO, Dr. Kyung-wha Kang, on what has shaped her career, including her mentors and key successes. The conversation also covers how Dr. Kang's experience in national government and international institutions influences her perspective on global governance and the important role of civil society and non-profits, including the Asia Society.This episode is from Asia Inside Out, a podcast series from the Asia Society Policy Insti...

Indira Ranamagar is Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives of Nepal since January 2023. She started her career as a primary science and maths teacher in village schools in the southeast of Nepal, and became a social worker in prisons in 1990. For well over 30 years now, she has been a prolific human rights and social worker. In 2000, she founded the NGO Prisoner’s Assistance Nepal, which looks after prisoners' welfare and works to give children whose parents are imprisoned an educatio...

Nalin Mehta is a political scientist and journalist in Delhi, India, and author of The New BJP, a work you can only call THE book on the BJP, the largest political party in the world. Under the leadership of India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the BJP has solidified its position as the uncontested center of power in the world's most populous country.As India heads to the polls over a 6-week period beginning April 19, we talk with Nalin about how the BJP built and expanded its power ba...

NEW YORK, March 21, 2024 — Asia Society Policy Institute, in partnership with Perry World House at the University of Pennsylvania, hosts a discussion on the U.S.-China relationship and how it impacts global trends. Speakers include Kishore Mahbubani, 2023-24 Schlager visiting fellow at the University of Pennsylvania's Perry World House; and Orville Schell, Arthur Ross director of the Asia Society’s Center on U.S.-China Relations. Rorry Daniels, managing director of Asia Society Policy Institu...

WASHINGTON D.C., January 25, 2024 — In this episode of Asia Inside Out, Wendy Cutler, Vice President & Managing Director of the Asia Society Policy Institute in Washington, D.C., leads a discussion at the Asia Society Policy Institute’s Asia Spotlight 2024 conference with Nick Schifrin, Foreign Affairs and Defense Correspondent at PBS Newshour; Demetri Sevastopulo, U.S.-China Correspondent at the Financial Times; Lingling Wei, Chief China Correspondent at the Wall Street Journal; and Edwa...

This month, we dive into the details of COP28, the world’s annual climate policy gathering, and what it means for Asia. Host and Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI) Managing Director Rorry Daniels discusses what progress was made and what remains to be done with her colleagues, Li Shuo, incoming Director of China Climate Hub at the Asia Society Policy Institute and Kate Logan, Associate Director of Climate at the Asia Society Policy Institute, both of whom attended the COP in Dubai.Asia Insi...

Ahead of COP28, host and Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI) Managing Director Rorry Daniels and guest co-host, Director of South Asia Initiatives of ASPI Farwa Aamer, talk to the UN Resident Coordinator in India Shombi Sharp, who shares his insights about the role of India on the global stage. The conversation covers a range of topics including India's perspective on G20 leadership, innovative development strategies, climate action, and inclusive policies. They also explore India’s mul...

NEW YORK, November 14, 2023 — Ahead of the important meeting between U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping this week, renowned Sinologist and Australian Ambassador to the United States, the Hon. Kevin Rudd, chats with Danny Russel, Vice President for International Security and Diplomacy at the Asia Society Policy Institute, about the bilateral relationship, drivers of China's policy decision-making, and what to expect from the meeting. Ambassador Rudd also speaks about the...