China’s leaders present peace as “inevitable,” yet Southeast Asia’s response is uneven, marked by cautious optimism in some quarters and deep mistrust in others. With Beijing placing neighborhood diplomacy at the heart of its foreign policy, the credibility of its peace promise is best judged through Southeast Asian perceptions and experiences.

Indonesia, born from its 1945 struggle for independence, has grown into Southeast Asia’s largest economy and a significant global player, yet remains under-discussed in high-level political discourse. Despite ongoing challenges, China and Indonesia specifically have significant potential for cooperation in trade and technology.

The military parade in Beijing on Sept. 3 and the SCO summit in Tianjin elicited a profound psychological response in the United States and other Western countries. Debates over China’s strategic ascent and the prospect of a continental alignment have intensified.

The United States faces a profound domestic governance crisis compounded by a loss of international credibility. This is undermining policy cohesion and eroding the foundation of America’s long-term strength and global influence.

The conduct of the Trump administration seems to show that traditional methods of keeping up appearances of cordial relations are no longer in the playbook, threatening U.S. hegemony by sabotaging its own image.

The new Global Governance Initiative that President Xi presented at the recent SCO and BRICS summits represents the most direct Chinese challenge to the U.S.-led global order since the Cold War. The United States needs to strengthen its counter-messaging in response.

China and India are cautiously rebuilding ties after years of mistrust, with renewed border talks, restored flights, and revived trade, a shift accelerated by Trump’s steep tariffs on Indian goods. Instead of isolating Moscow’s partners, Washington’s selective approach appears to be driving the two Asian rivals closer together.

The China-India relationship deteriorated sharply after the Galwan Valley clash in June 2020, and the normalization process resumed following a meeting between President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Modi on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in Kazan on October 23, 2024. While analysts remain cautious about the rapprochement between the world’s most populous nations, there are various reasons to argue that this rapprochement will endure.

Whoever emerges as leader in the coming election within the Liberal Democratic Party will decide whether Japan will take a path into the future of constructive regional engagement or one that further entrenches antagonism.

The fiercest struggle in American politics today is not between two presidential contenders. It is happening between states, which control the electoral maps that determine who sits in Congress. Though Republicans and Democrats are relying on redistricting campaigns instead of armies, their conflict is best understood through the lens of geopolitics. After all, they are not fighting over ideas or specific policies, but over territory.