The IPEF - a U.S.-initiated trade and development partnership - is poised to bring in enthusiastic participation from several nations in the Asia-Pacific region. Notably, Southeast Asian states are well represented among members, giving the U.S. considerable influence right in China’s backyard.

Globalization is at a crossroads. Compounded by U.S. geopolitics and the cost of economic development, de-globalization has huge economic and human damages.

Marine protected areas are crucial for conserving blue carbon resources in coastal and deep-sea ecosystems, and these conservation efforts can play a crucial role in reaching multilateral treaties and mitigating conflict in areas such as the South China Sea.

Six factors suggest that the IPEF will not succeed: meager benefits for developing economies, new and unpopular commitments, disproportionate benefits for the U.S., vague negotiating plans, uncertainty of the framework’s survival under a new American administration and skepticism by U.S. allies.

Whether or not bilateral relations will enter a new era depends, in particular, on what the U.S. can offer. Peace and development is ASEAN’s main concern. A strategy designed to force members to side with the U.S. or China will not be welcomed.

India and Pakistan share a deeply intertwined and embattled history. And now that India sees China entering the picture to back Pakistani development, the thought of two neighboring rivals growing closer has put India on notice.

Economic sanctions against Russia have laid bare the limits of Western-controlled financial infrastructure, and may have exposed some misguided preconceptions about how the global economy is evaluated.

The Philippine 2022 presidential election is just days away. The highly popular president Duterte is likely to be succeeded by the “Bong Bong” Marcos and Sara Duterte, who will build on his legacies. The opposition’s proxy campaign has failed.

Russia’s deep integration in the global energy market is the result of a long and complex interaction of many actors in the value chain. Therefore, so-called moral clarity will require precise, case-by-case analysis of real-world facts. The outcome remains to be seen.

Punishments of Russia cut both ways for the West and may even be self-defeating. The European and U.S. economies are suffering a backlash in rising energy prices, shrinking corporate profits and inflation-induced economic hardships.