Asia In-Depth

While concerns over nuclear and ballistic missile tests tend to dominate the headlines about North Korea, a story that may be just as consequential has been quietly developing over the past two decades. Private enterprise and sophisticated markets are starting to give the country’s citizens access to a wide array of goods, including illegal foreign media products. Today, the country’s millennial generation is coming of age having grown up with a market mentality and far more foreign media exposure than their parents — something that’s having major social and political implications. In this episode, we trace how this generational shift is changing North Korea from the inside.

In recent years, American universities have been setting up branches and full degree-granting campuses in China at a time when Chinese leaders are cracking down on so-called “Western values.” This has raised questions back in the States — including in the U.S. Congress — as to whether academic freedom is being compromised. In this episode, we look at the case of NYU Shanghai and what challenges American educational institutions face in China's current political environment.

When Donald Trump was elected to become the 45th president of the United States in November, it sent shockwaves across the world, particularly in Asia. Throughout his campaign, he made pledges that, if acted upon, could fundamentally alter the U.S. position in the region... and even the broader international order. In this episode, we look at the geopolitical hotspots in Asia including China, North Korea, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, India, and the Philippines, and how President Trump might address them.

In spite of ever-stricter sanctions on North Korea, the impoverished and isolated country continues to produce more sophisticated weapons. Many experts fear North Korea is approaching its ultimate goal of a nuclear ballistic missile arsenal capable of hitting targets around the world. In this episode, analysts describe how the “Hermit Kingdom” is managing to develop these weapons, and what, if anything, can be done to counter them.

After embracing market reforms in 1979, the world's largest communist country blindsided the world with three decades of consistent double-digit GDP growth. It was dubbed the "China Miracle." But now, the country's growth is rapidly slowing and a raft of grave concerns about demographics, the middle-income trap, capital flight, and debt are emerging in its economy. So does this mean economic catastrophe, or can it be managed? In this episode we hear from a range of economists, investors, and journalists to unpack what’s going on in China’s economy, and what a stumble might mean for the world.

Each year, throughout the world, thousands are killed in so-called "honor killings" for bringing perceived shame onto their families for anything from infidelity to refusing an arranged marriage — or even being raped. The victims of these murders are predominately female, and because of legal loopholes and entrenched ideas about a woman’s role in the family, the practice is especially prevalent in Pakistan. In this episode of the Asia Society Podcast, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, who recently won an Oscar for her film about honor killing, discusses why the crime persists and how things might be starting to change.

In January, Taiwan's voters handed the traditionally pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) a landslide victory, giving it control of the parliament and presidency for the first time ever. The outcome is just the latest of many signals that Taiwanese are growing more skeptical of mainland China, which appears to be failing in its long-running strategy to entice the self-governing island back peacefully. In this fifth episode of the Asia Society Podcast, we explore how Taiwan has continued to drift further away from the mainland psychologically, and what the implications could be of a new Taiwanese government that's less friendly with Beijing.

For five decades, Myanmar (also known as Burma) languished under a hardline military junta, with most people living in poverty and any hint of dissent quickly stomped out. But in 2008, a new constitution set in motion a profound set of changes. Then this November, it culminated with something that's long seemed impossible: free and peaceful elections that allowed long-time political prisoner Aung San Suu Kyi's opposition party to take power. In this fourth episode of the Asia Society Podcast, we trace Myanmar's "bumpy zig-zag road" to reform and explore what lies ahead for the nascent democracy.

In the aftermath of the Arab Spring, several Middle Eastern countries have descended into violence as terror groups like the Islamic State have gained power. As they’ve seized territory in Syria, Iraq, and elsewhere, these organizations have systematically destroyed millennia-old archeological sites and trafficked priceless artifacts, creating a self-perpetuating cycle that provides funding for arms and erodes the region's shared identity. This process — which some experts have deemed "cultural cleansing" — has augmented the tragedy of the human lives lost to the conflict. In this episode, we explore what’s happening and what the world can do to stop it.

In July, after years of negotiations, Iran signed a historic deal with the United States and five other world powers to limit its nuclear capability in exchange for sanctions relief, triggering controversy throughout the world. But regardless of its international perception, the deal signals a major shift in Iran's domestic politics. In this episode, experts on the country discuss the political conflict playing out over Iran's future between aging hardline revolutionaries and a moderate younger generation more inclined to opening up to the world.