Asia Abridged

When President Obama appointed Richard Holbrooke to manage the U.S. relationship with Afghanistan and Pakistan, the assignment seemed like a perfect challenge for the veteran diplomat. Instead, the two men could not see eye to eye before Holbrooke's untimely death in 2010. George Packer, author of a new biography of Holbrooke, explains the fundamental differences between the president and diplomat.

In a lively appearance at Asia Society, Mohammad Javad Zarif said that Iran would continue to sell its oil to foreign buyers in spite of American pressure, offered to negotiate a prisoner exchange with the U.S, and said that Iran, the U.S., and Saudi Arabia had agreed to a ceasefire in Yemen in 2015 — but Saudi Arabia pulled out at the last minute.

Economist Jesper Koll explains his counterintuitive take on the country's growing prospects — particularly for its youth.

Economist Jesper Koll explains his counterintuitive take on the country's growing prospects — particularly for its youth.

Whether it's on the silver screen, a television screen or your computer screen, Asian and Asian American talent has achieved mainstream status in Hollywood.

Daniel Russel of the Asia Society Policy Institute discusses the limits of President Trump's "mano a mano" approach to solving the North Korean nuclear crisis.

Financier Weijian Shan recounts his experience as a teenager during China's Cultural Revolution and his subsequent arrival in the United States.

A changing global film industry is giving India's filmmakers and actors a chance to be seen by audiences well beyond its borders. People speaking in this podcast:Visheh Bhatt, filmmaker: https://twitter.com/VishehB7Kabir Khan, filmmaker: https://twitter.com/kabirkhankkZulfiqar Khan, managing director of video streaming platform Hooq: https://www.hooq.tv/Anil Kapoor, actor and producer: https://twitter.com/AnilKapoorMichelle FlorCruz, Asia Society: https://twitter.com/mflorcruz

Two Asian immigrants share their stories of coming to the United States, and coming to terms with their undocumented status. As the United States struggles with the question of immigration, hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants — many of whom are Asian — live with an uncertain future.

In this episode of Asia Abridged, Wendy Cutler and Orville Schell tell us why, contrary to President Trump's assertions, Beijing is well-positioned to compete in a trade conflict with the United States.