Asia Geopolitics

If so, to what end? In this episode of The Diplomat’s Asia Geopolitics Podcast, hosts Katie Putz and Ankit Panda discuss U.S. President Donald Trump’s upcoming travel itinerary to Asia, to include the ASEAN Summit in Manila, the Philippines, and the APEC Summit in Shenzhen, China. What’s grabbed headlines, however, is the possibility of a trilateral summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Putin and...

In this episode of The Diplomat’s Asia Geopolitics Podcast, hosts Katie Putz and Ankit Panda take stock of two tiffs: the recent diplomatic tensions between South Korea and Ukraine, sparked by the disclosure by the Ukrainian president that Kyiv had sent two North Korean POWs to Seoul; and a the root of recent furor over comments made by the commander of U.S. Forces Korea regarding what South Korea...

In this episode of The Diplomat’s Asia Geopolitics podcast, hosts Ankit Panda and Katie Putz mark the 5th anniversary of the AUKUS partnership with a discussion of the trilateral security agreement between Australia, the U.K., and the U.S., breaking down its significance, concerns regarding its sustainability amid a changing political landscape, the challenges faced by the U.S. submarine industria...

In the latest episode of the Asia Geopolitics podcast, hosts Katie Putz and Ankit Panda are joined by Shannon Tiezzi, The Diplomat’s editor-in-chief, to discuss the outcomes – as we know them so far – from the latest Xi-Trump meeting, this time in Washington, DC. Xi’s state visit was heavy on vibes, as Tiezzi wrote in the aftermath , but light on substance. All the same, the meeting has implicatio...

In the latest episode of The Diplomat’s Asia Geopolitics podcast, hosts Katie Putz and Ankit Panda discuss the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement -- a collective security agreement signed by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye in early August. They dive into the motivations for the pact on the part of all three members, the role (or lack thereof) of nuclear deterrence within it, and take a moment to com...

In the latest episode of The Diplomat’s Asia Geopolitics podcast, hosts Katie Putz and Ankit Panda do a line-by-line analysis of U.S. President Donald Trump's surprising (?) social media post downsizing the ongoing U.S.-South Korea military exercises at the very last minute. They dig into the roots of each sentence and their implications for the U.S.-South Korea alliance and the potential for...

In this episode of The Diplomat’s Asia Geopolitics Podcast hosts Ankit Panda and Katie Putz examine the status of the Russia-North Korea partnership. Since the signing of a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty in 2024, the two have held three strategic dialogues, the most recent in late July in Moscow. How transactional is the massive shift in their relations and how sensitive is it to the U...

On July 6 China tested a submarine-launched intercontinental ballistic missile into the South China Sea. A PLA statement after the test claimed that “the missile test was a routine part of China’s annual military training program, and relevant countries had been notified in advance.”  In this episode of The Diplomat’s Asia Geopolitics Podcast hosts Ankit Panda and Katie Putz take stock of the test...

Goodbye INDOPACOM and hello Middle Eastern distractions. Today on The Diplomat’s Asia Geopolitics podcast hosts Ankit Panda (@nktpnd) and Katie Putz (@LadyPutz) take stock of U.S. Asia policy at the midpoint of 2026, discussing the recent renaming of INDOPACOM and last month’s Shangri-La Dialogue. What are the perception of U.S. Asia policy among regional players amid recurrent distractions caused...

Today on The Diplomat’s Asia Geopolitics podcast hosts Ankit Panda (@nktpnd) and Katie Putz (@LadyPutz) take a look at the fragile framework reached between the U.S. and Iran and how it fits stylistically into U.S. President Donald Trump’s dealmaking and diplomatic record.  You can subscribe to The Diplomat’s Asia Geopolitics podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify ; and watch the episode on YouTube...

Today on The Diplomat’s Asia Geopolitics podcast host Katie Putz is joined by Jacob Sims, a columnist for The Diplomat, a Visiting Fellow at Harvard University’s Asia Center, and a leading expert on transnational crime and human rights in Southeast Asia. Sims is the author of a series of essays for The Diplomat focused on the cyberscam economy in Cambodia which landed The Diplomat its first appear...

Prashanth Parameswaran joins the Asia Geopolitics podcast to explain how multialignment shapes Southeast Asia’s foreign policy and the region’s strategic importance. Today on The Diplomat’s Asia Geopolitics podcast hosts Ankit Panda (@nktpnd) and Katie Putz (@LadyPutz) are joined by an old friend, Prashanth Parameswaran -- now a senior columnist at The Diplomat and a fellow at the Institute for In...

Today on The Diplomat’s Asia Geopolitics podcast hosts Ankit Panda and Katie Putz are joined by Editor-in-Chief Shannon Tiezzi to preview U.S. President Donald Trump’s visit to China, where he’s meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. There’s a bevvy of possible agenda items, but Taiwan, trade and Iran are the most likely -- and most important -- matters to track. You can subscribe to The Diplomat...

While Pakistan has stepped up to try and mediate between the U.S. and Iran, India has taken a much quieter approach.  The U.S.-Iran ceasefire has been extended indefinitely, but the Strait of Hormuz remains closed. Today on The Diplomat’s Asia Geopolitics podcast hosts Ankit Panda (@nktpnd) and Katie Putz (@LadyPutz) dive into Pakistan's prominent mediation role in the conflict, and India'...

The U.S.-Iran ceasefire is on the cusp of ending, negotiations appear to have stalled, and across Asia governments and publics alike are watching and wary -- what will U.S. strategic incoherence yield next? Today on The Diplomat’s Asia Geopolitics podcast hosts Ankit Panda (@nktpnd) and Katie Putz (@LadyPutz) take stock of the current state of affairs, the view of the Iran crisis from the perspect...

What happened at the party congress and why does it matter? It may have flown under the radar for some, but in the latest episode of The Diplomat’s Asia Geopolitics podcast Ankit Panda (@nktpnd) and Katie Putz (@LadyPutz) dive deep into North Korea's 9th Party Congress, its internal and external implications, and the country’s geopolitical strategies under Kim Jong Un's leadership. Plus, A...

As conflict unfurls across the Middle East, Asian countries -- U.S. friends and foes alike -- are watching carefully. In this episode of The Diplomat’s Asia Geopolitics podcast, Ankit Panda (@nktpnd) and Katie Putz (@LadyPutz discuss the recent bombing of Iran by the U.S. and Israel, exploring the geopolitical tensions and the implications for Asia, touching on nuclear deterrence (or lack thereof)...

In this episode of The Diplomat’s Asia Geopolitics podcast, Ankit Panda (@nktpnd) and Katie Putz (@LadyPutz) discuss recent allegations aired by a U.S. official that China is preparing to -- and already has -- restart nuclear testing activities and the implications of these claims for not just U.S.-China relations but the geopolitical consequences of a return to testing. If you like the podcast an...

In this episode of The Diplomat’s Asia Geopolitics podcast, Ankit Panda and Katie Putz discuss the recent downfall of General Zhang Youxia, a significant figure in China's military leadership. They explore the implications of his removal, the allegations of corruption and espionage, and how this reflects broader trends in Chinese politics under Xi Jinping.  For more on the intrigues of China’s...

In this episode of The Diplomat’s Asia Geopolitics podcast, Ankit Panda and Katie Putz discuss the recent snatch-and-grab of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by U.S. forces, how this dramatic event is being perceived in Asia and what it tells us about Donald Trump’s United States. You can subscribe to The Diplomat’s Asia Geopolitics podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify ; and watch the episode...

As 2026 dawns, we look back at a tumultuous year. In this episode of The Diplomat’s Asia Geopolitics podcast, Ankit Panda and Katie Putz reflect on 2025, a year dominated by Donald Trump’s return to the U.S. presidency and the unspooling of his particular brand of foreign policy across the globe. In Asia, allies and adversaries alike navigated the new regime in Washington, one willing to wield tar...

In this episode of The Diplomat’s Asia Geopolitics podcast Ankit Panda and Katie Putz discuss the recently released U.S. National Security Strategy (NSS), focusing on its unusual tone, its departures from previous strategies, and the implications for U.S. foreign policy, particularly in relation to Europe and Asia.

Despite a factsheet stating that the U.S. has given approval for the ROK to build nuclear-powered attack submarines, there’s a tremendous amount of uncertainty as to what was actually agreed to.  In this episode of The Diplomat’s Asia Geopolitics podcast Ankit Panda (@nktpnd) and Katie Putz (@LadyPutz) dig into the recent news that the U.S. had given South Korea the go-ahead to pursue the developm...