Asia Unlocked

In this episode, Asha Clark examines Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s Shangri‑La Dialogue speech and argues that Washington’s softer tone toward Beijing reflects strategic bandwidth limits rather than a real shift in threat perception. She discusses how this recalibration affects regional stability, from ally confidence to tensions around Japan and Taiwan and why it risks creating openings for Chin...

In this episode, Professor Alan Tidwell, Director of the Centre for Australian, New Zealand and Pacific Studies at Georgetown University, explains why the PICS matter strategically, how geography shapes their political choices, and why external pressure from major powers often backfires. He discusses the legacy of U.S. disengagement, 'strategic arbitrage' among island governments, and how Australi...

China’s accelerating nuclear modernisation is under renewed scrutiny following US allegations of covert testing activity. Dr. Matthew Kroenig, Vice President for Geostrategy at the Atlantic Council and Professor in Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service, outlines why these developments matter for strategic stability. He explains how testing supports China’s shift toward a larger and more sophistic...

As the Iran war reshapes global trade routes and energy security, the question of how Beijing and Global South countries navigate the conflict takes center stage. Eric Olander, Editor-in-Chief of the China Global South Project and a veteran journalist with over three decades of experience at CNN, the Associated Press, and the BBC World Service, explains the prevalence of pragmatic realism over ide...

North Korea’s leadership future is once again in the spotlight as South Korean intelligence reports are released on Kim Jong‑un’s daughter, Kim Ju‑hae, and her increasing visibility. Dr. Victor Cha, President of the Geopolitics and Foreign Policy Department and Korea Chair at CSIS and Distinguished University Professor at Georgetown University, explains the importance of public appearances for pre...

Japan’s snap election delivered one of the biggest political surprises in years as Prime Minister Takaichi's LDP won 316 seats, securing a lower house two-third majority. In this episode, Dr. Sheila Smith, the John E. Merow Senior Fellow for Asia‑Pacific Studies, explains the key reasons behind Takaichi’s unexpected landslide: why she called the snap election, how the opposition failed to chal...

Zhang Youxia, PLA General and Vice-Chairman of the Central Military Commission, was removed from his post in January 2026, accused of 'serious violations of discipline and law'. What does the purge of Zhang Youxia reveal about power, risk, and military signaling in China? Dennis Wilder, senior fellow at the Initiative for U.S.–China Dialogue and former CIA China analyst, unpacks theories on the pu...