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My Take
Macroscope
Illustration: Craig Stephens
Diplomacy

Opinion | How America’s stumble in Iran upends East Asia’s security calculus

A region where US allies lose faith in Washington won’t necessarily embrace Beijing; it is a region more likely to reach for its own guns.

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Banking & finance

Opinion | From the US to Hong Kong, there’s no excuse for insider trading

War and conflict

Opinion | Iran war is changing East Asia’s energy and strategic plays

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Taiwan

Opinion | What the Iran war reveals about Nato’s appetite for conflict over Taiwan

Resistance to a war started without European consent makes clear the alliance’s limits. The US can’t count on Nato support for a war in Asia.

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Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte meeting US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos on January 21. Photo: AFP
Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte meeting US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos on January 21. Photo: AFP
China economy

Opinion | Global businesses are piling back into China, drawn by its stability

For all its structural challenges, China offers something the West no longer seems to: policy continuity and a sense of stability.

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War and conflict

Opinion | How selective outrage over Iran war exposes the limits of realpolitik

From Iran to Afghanistan, the cold logic of ruthless pragmatism ensures human life and welfare are always the biggest casualties.

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Trade

Opinion | In age of US-China rivalry, supply chain statecraft counts

Systems that once underpinned globalisation as a process of integration are becoming repurposed as instruments of competition.

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A man walks along rocks as oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz, seen from Khor Fakkan in the United Arab Emirates on March 11. Photo: AP
A man walks along rocks as oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz, seen from Khor Fakkan in the United Arab Emirates on March 11. Photo: AP
United Nations

Opinion | Crippled UN Security Council pushing world into instability

The world cannot afford to have a veto-crippled UN reduced to a spectator to global events that affect everyone.

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European Union

Opinion | Europe’s response to Iran war risks becoming its ‘darkest hour’

By prevaricating on US aggression, Brussels risks forfeiting new partnerships that could help reduce its reliance on Washington.

US-China tech war

Opinion | How to assess China’s real chance of winning AI race against US

Debate over whether it is ‘less than 20%’ misses the point. The right question is: does innovation work better under disciplined scarcity or profligate abundance?

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It’s a mistake to treat the AI race as a contest with one finish line. Photo: Shutterstock
Artificial intelligence

Opinion | AI infrastructure on the front line: Lessons for Asean from the Iran war

It’s time Southeast Asia reckoned with the weaponisation of artificial intelligence and what it means for the region’s security.

A plume of smoke rises after a reported Iranian strike on fuel tanks in Muharraq, Bahrain, on March 12. Photo: AFP
A plume of smoke rises after a reported Iranian strike on fuel tanks in Muharraq, Bahrain, on March 12. Photo: AFP
War and conflict

Macroscope | Iran war’s ripple effects are just getting started for Asia

From tariffs to supply chain disruption, Asian economies reliant on energy imports find themselves cornered between compounding crises.

China's space programme

Opinion | Why China’s space-based solar power is the next frontier of green energy

As the race for orbital energy heats up, China’s ambitious plan to build solar stations in space could boost its strategic influence beyond our atmosphere.

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US, Israel war on Iran

Opinion | Time to confront folly of Iran war and irrational US spending

Our fate increasingly depends on the state of mind of leaders who are playing a nuclear-scale game of chicken.

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Iranian firefighters use an excavator to clear rubble from a residential building that was hit in an earlier US-Israeli strike in Tehran, on March 23. Photo: AP
Trade

Opinion | As Trump wrecks trade, WTO meeting in Cameroon is a show of defiance

Trade ministerial conference shows that most nations still value multilateral cooperation over the chaotic whims of a hegemon.

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US President Donald Trump speaks to reporters before boarding Air Force One at Palm Beach International Airport in West Palm Beach, Florida, on March 23. Photo: AFP
US President Donald Trump speaks to reporters before boarding Air Force One at Palm Beach International Airport in West Palm Beach, Florida, on March 23. Photo: AFP
Taiwan

Opinion | Trump 2.0 has flipped the script on the US’ one-China policy

By sending mixed signals to both Beijing and Taipei, the Trump administration has turned cross-strait stability into a bargaining chip.

China economy

Opinion | As oil-shocked world turns to renewables, China will reap the rewards

The biggest losers will be the Middle East and the US, as oil becomes less important and doubts grow about US might.

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US, Israel war on Iran

Macroscope | Iran war: Why a Trump climbdown won’t save Asia’s economies

Markets might be convinced Trump will chicken out again, but that won’t reassure Asian nations scrambling to deal with energy shortages.

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A delivery driver transports liquid petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders in Amritsar, Punjab state, in India on March 24. Two more Indian-flagged tankers carrying LPG passed through the Strait of Hormuz on March 23, marking a fresh set of exceptions in the chokepoint disrupted by the Middle East war. Photo: AFP
A delivery driver transports liquid petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders in Amritsar, Punjab state, in India on March 24. Two more Indian-flagged tankers carrying LPG passed through the Strait of Hormuz on March 23, marking a fresh set of exceptions in the chokepoint disrupted by the Middle East war. Photo: AFP
Iran

Opinion | Life in Iran illustrates shifting realities amid US-Israel war

Instead of panicking, Iranians are asking different questions and making new strategic considerations.

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Artificial intelligence

Opinion | Why Bangladesh could be last hurrah for Asia’s development model

The question is not if AI will eventually reach developing countries’ factories – it is whether anyone will build those factories at all.

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CPTPP

Opinion | Pacific trade vitality shows multilateralism is alive and well

With the US in retreat, nations committed to economic integration are moving forward through partnerships like the CPTPP.

Illustration: Craig Stephens
Banking & finance

Opinion | Why a global private-credit meltdown would hit China hard

It could leave emerging economies scrambling for financing just as their repayment obligations to Chinese lenders mount.

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People wait to cross a road in Beijing on March 6. A private-credit crisis could prompt a wave of restructuring of loans due to China, complicating its efforts to counter a structural downturn. Photo: AFP
People wait to cross a road in Beijing on March 6. A private-credit crisis could prompt a wave of restructuring of loans due to China, complicating its efforts to counter a structural downturn. Photo: AFP
Middle East

Opinion | As the Gulf grows riskier, the Arctic is gaining strategic weight

As traditional energy centres become less stable, the Arctic’s resources, shipping routes and infrastructure are growing in importance.

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Donald Trump

As I see it | Donald Trump is the purest symbol of post-truth America

Trump doesn’t care what is true about the war in the Middle East or anything else so long as what he says serves his purpose for the moment.

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US, Israel war on Iran

The View | Trump’s energy war over Iran is failing just like his China trade war

Much like China’s rare earths dominance held off Trump’s trade war, Iran is using the Strait of Hormuz to outdo Trump in economic warfare.

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A Chinese-flagged tanker is seen moored at an oil terminal at Tsing Yi port in Hong Kong on March 19. Photo: Reuters
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