Available also in pdf – Download Pdf   In 2023, the People’s Republic of China witnessed two major significant developments. Firstly, the Chinese Communist Party demonstrated a clear intention to increase Party ideological rectification through important political gatherings, institutional reforms, and the introduction of new laws. This reflected an effort by the Xi Jinping leadership […]

Available also in pdf – Download Pdf This article provides an in-depth analysis of China’s foreign policy in 2023, exploring four dimensions: global security, China-United States relations, China-Russia ties, and China’s «active» approach in the Global South. 2023 witnessed an attempt to depart from China’s historical «non-interference principle», marked by the conceptual redefinition of the […]

Available also in pdf – Download Pdf   After the years of the COVID-19 pandemic, in 2023 both Koreas started a process of domestic and external consolidation and restructuring. This process however had the main effect of increasing tensions and political polarization on the peninsula. After a very close presidential election in South Korea, in […]

Available also in pdf – Download Pdf   On the basis of a wide range of critically assessed and triangulated secondary and primary sources, including elite interviews and official documentation often in the original language, this article suggests that Japan’s domestic politics, and also its foreign and security policies, displayed a remarkable degree of continuity […]

Available also in pdf – Download Pdf   Three years after the implementation of the National Security Law (NSL) in 2020, time is ripe to affirm that the Hong Kong Special Autonomous Region of the People’s Republic of China (HKSAR) has completed its full integration into the Chinese political and economic system. This article argues […]

Available also in pdf – Download Pdf   The year in review was marked by a year-long electoral campaign for the presidential and legislative elections eventually held on 13 January 2024. The candidate of the Democratic Progressive Party, Vice-President Lai Ching-te, won the presidential race, beating the Kuomintang candidate Hou Yu-ih and the Taiwan People’s […]

Available also in pdf – Download Pdf   This article provides a two-year analysis of events spanning the country’s leadership transition from the 2022 national elections to the initial year of the new administration. The electoral triumph of Marcos Jr. and Duterte-Carpio’s UniTeam alliance marked the resurgence of the Marcos family and the continuation of […]

Available also in pdf – Download Pdf   In 2023, public discourse in Malaysia was dominated by identity politics, framed around the imperative of safeguarding Malaysia’s national core. These dynamics obscured the intricate interplay of geographical, socio-demographic and economic marginalization, further polarizing voter preferences across the country. Within this framework, the newly appointed unity government […]

Available also in pdf – Download Pdf   The years 2020-2023 in Vietnam witnessed three overarching trends. First, on the domestic front, Vietnam succeeded in managing the COVID crisis with overall net economic growth, while witnessing unprecedented change in the character of top political leadership. Second, the period saw the passage of landmark free trade […]

Available also in pdf – Download Pdf   2023 was an historic year for Cambodia. Following elections widely deemed not to be fair and free, Prime Minister Hun Sen handed over power to his son Hun Manet. In doing so, he ended his 38-year premiership, and secured the transformation of Cambodia into a dynastic autocracy. […]

Available also in pdf – Download Pdf   The crisis in Myanmar continues to eschew easy categorisations or even a simple meta-narrative of the post-coup dynamics. The complexities on the ground, including the fluidity of context-specific alliances and conflict dynamics, have come to encompass an ever-growing number of regions across the country. In 2023, as […]

Available also in pdf – Download Pdf In 2023, India’s political parties started preparations ahead of the 2024 general elections. The ruling BJP banked on Narendra Modi’s enduring popularity and his virtual monopoly of India’s political scene. Particularly important was the year-long spectacle of India’s presidency of the G20, which gave the Prime Minister an […]

Available also in pdf – Download Pdf   India had a busy and increasingly tumultuous year in foreign policy. New Delhi played host to both the Group of 20 and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, providing opportunities to shape agendas in multiple areas of global governance and international security. It used both presidencies to showcase the […]

Available also in pdf – Download Pdf   The article analyses some of the main events in Nepal between 2020 and 2023 in order to outline the political and economic framework of the Himalayan country during the pandemic and the political-institutional crisis that led to the dissolution of the Communist Party of Nepal and the […]

Available also in pdf – Download Pdf   The country’s effort to emerge from the economic and political crisis characterized the year under review for Sri Lanka. After long negotiations, Colombo managed to reach an agreement with international partners on financial aid, accompanied by a program of profound economic, fiscal and government reforms. These have […]

Available also in pdf – Download Pdf   The salient events that characterized Pakistan in the period covered in this article (January – December 2023) were the political and economic crises that occurred in the lead-up to the general elections and the postponement of these elections to 2024. Former Prime Minister, Chairman of the Pakistan […]

Available also in pdf – Download Pdf   The year under examination was characterised by the Taliban attempts at consolidating control over Afghanistan, following a tumultuous first 18 months in power. Security has overall improved across the country but the equilibrium remains fragile. From a political standpoint, the Taliban have expanded their reach across all […]

Available also in pdf – Download Pdf   The Islamic Republic of Iran persists in its ambition to counterbalance the adverse effects of Western sanctions by strengthening ties with «the East» and participating in regional organizations with influential Asian countries as guiding members. A significant shift in Iran’s regional policy occurred with the agreement to […]