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 compare it to other collective security arrangements like the CSTO. There are few concrete details available about the pact, but given the tumultuous regions its members span, it’ll be tested soon. 

You can subscribe to The Diplomat’s Asia Geopolitics podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify; and watch the episode on YouTube.

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 future talks between the U.S. and North Korea.

You can subscribe to The Diplomat’s Asia Geopolitics podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify; and watch the episode on YouTube.

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 Ukraine war? And what does China -- which has its own nuanced relations with North Korea and Russia -- think about the growing closeness between Moscow and Pyongyang?

You can subscribe to The Diplomat’s Asia Geopolitics podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify; and watch the episode on YouTube.

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 and the reactions across the Pacific. The July 6 was the first time that China has launched a submarine-launched ballistic missile into international waters, and only its the second launch of a ballistic missile into international waters since 1980. Also unusual: China provided notice to Australia, Japan, the U.S. and others, through in some cases only half an hour.

You can subscribe to The Diplomat’s Asia Geopolitics podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify; and watch the episode on YouTube.

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 by conflicts in the Middle East and the uncertain future of US-China relations.

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 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 appearance as a finalist in the Society of Publishers in Asia -- or SOPA --2026 Awards for Editorial Excellence. 

The winners will be announced on June 18 but today we have Sims on the podcast to talk about Cambodia’s scam economy, its global reach and its domestic roots.

You can subscribe to The Diplomat’s Asia Geopolitics podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify; and watch the episode on YouTube.

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 Indo-Pacific Security -- to discuss his latest book, “Mandalas of Multialignment: Hedging Bets in Southeast Asia Grand Strategy Spheres, Foreign and Security Policy Webs, and Global Geopolitics and Geoeconomics.” In the realm of geopolitics, few regions are as dynamic and strategically significant as Southeast Asia. Amid intensifying rivalry between the United States and China, Southeast Asia is critical.

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 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’s Asia Geopolitics podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify; and watch the episode on YouTube.

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's strategic (or astrategic) silence amid wider regional tensions.

You can subscribe to The Diplomat’s Asia Geopolitics podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify; and watch the episode on YouTube.