The premier international affairs magazine for the Asia-Pacific, covering politics, defense and society from China and Kazakhstan to Myanmar and Australia. thediplomat.comhttps://bsky.app/profile/thediplomat.comhttps://bsky.app/profile/thediplomat.com/post/3mmitatkhc72w"The overall theme of the 2026 Honolulu Defense Forum (HDF) was centered on how we operationalize Indo-Pacific readiness and deterrence." https://buff.ly/6CArhp523 May 2026 06:32 +0000at://did:plc:xta63iqnrhi7tzp7y7b2mppi/app.bsky.feed.post/3mmitatkhc72whttps://bsky.app/profile/thediplomat.com/post/3mmiqduqi2e2bThe Tata-ASML MoU puts India inside the world’s most exclusive technology partnership, but Beijing still controls the inputs used to make chips. https://buff.ly/mt0k2Rx23 May 2026 05:40 +0000at://did:plc:xta63iqnrhi7tzp7y7b2mppi/app.bsky.feed.post/3mmiqduqi2e2bhttps://bsky.app/profile/thediplomat.com/post/3mmimihdhh32bThis time, India's GDP revisions came after a decade, and the implications are big. https://buff.ly/h8Svvun23 May 2026 04:31 +0000at://did:plc:xta63iqnrhi7tzp7y7b2mppi/app.bsky.feed.post/3mmimihdhh32bhttps://bsky.app/profile/thediplomat.com/post/3mmij56a6jp2wIn 2009, the Australian government recognized the need to replace its aging Collins-class submarines. What followed has been a mess of indecision, changing plans, and squandered opportunities. https://buff.ly/UwCkAfW23 May 2026 03:31 +0000at://did:plc:xta63iqnrhi7tzp7y7b2mppi/app.bsky.feed.post/3mmij56a6jp2whttps://bsky.app/profile/thediplomat.com/post/3mmifochgwv2oSri Lanka’s 2022 default was not merely a fiscal accident; it was the result of a crisis of governance. How can the country prevent the next cycle of unsustainable borrowing? https://buff.ly/Mi1W7bT23 May 2026 02:29 +0000at://did:plc:xta63iqnrhi7tzp7y7b2mppi/app.bsky.feed.post/3mmifochgwv2ohttps://bsky.app/profile/thediplomat.com/post/3mmicnqp42423This feud has monopolized the past two years of Philippine politics, and will play a defining role in the next presidential election in 2028. https://buff.ly/MsN24Bg23 May 2026 01:35 +0000at://did:plc:xta63iqnrhi7tzp7y7b2mppi/app.bsky.feed.post/3mmicnqp42423https://bsky.app/profile/thediplomat.com/post/3mmi753qv3v2bTrump’s summit with Xi deferred the real Taiwan test: whether U.S. arms sales to Taipei will preserve credible support under strategic ambiguity, and how far Beijing will go to enforce its red line. https://buff.ly/5f4Fp4R23 May 2026 00:32 +0000at://did:plc:xta63iqnrhi7tzp7y7b2mppi/app.bsky.feed.post/3mmi753qv3v2bhttps://bsky.app/profile/thediplomat.com/post/3mmi3yxfhwb23When it was founded in 2021, it was not clear exactly what the purpose of the state investment fund was. Last year, the picture started to become more clear https://buff.ly/6wkmuD122 May 2026 23:36 +0000at://did:plc:xta63iqnrhi7tzp7y7b2mppi/app.bsky.feed.post/3mmi3yxfhwb23https://bsky.app/profile/thediplomat.com/post/3mmhyddix2f2uA survey of 50 Chinese-language commentaries published around the summit shows the trip being described as a paradigmatic shift. https://buff.ly/qeAu0lo22 May 2026 22:30 +0000at://did:plc:xta63iqnrhi7tzp7y7b2mppi/app.bsky.feed.post/3mmhyddix2f2uhttps://bsky.app/profile/thediplomat.com/post/3mmhvhquzqo2pIndia’s push for domestic defense production is running up against suppliers’ reluctance to transfer technology and key data. https://buff.ly/EYAprki22 May 2026 21:39 +0000at://did:plc:xta63iqnrhi7tzp7y7b2mppi/app.bsky.feed.post/3mmhvhquzqo2phttps://bsky.app/profile/thediplomat.com/post/3mmhrmpkb372uAdrift after Yoon’s impeachment, the PPP is facing the unthinkable: loss of support in its long-time base. https://buff.ly/nR4MG7X22 May 2026 20:30 +0000at://did:plc:xta63iqnrhi7tzp7y7b2mppi/app.bsky.feed.post/3mmhrmpkb372uhttps://bsky.app/profile/thediplomat.com/post/3mmhojzonym2hIndia’s unusually crowded diplomatic calendar reflects the turbulent era we inhabit. Multiple theaters of interest are converging on India simultaneously. https://buff.ly/9Iqo1Ta22 May 2026 19:35 +0000at://did:plc:xta63iqnrhi7tzp7y7b2mppi/app.bsky.feed.post/3mmhojzonym2hhttps://bsky.app/profile/thediplomat.com/post/3mmhks7wbtc23For the past couple of weeks, Kazakhstan’s social media has been buzzing with rumors of Dariga Nazarbayeva becoming the country’s vice president. https://buff.ly/leOUIxX22 May 2026 18:28 +0000at://did:plc:xta63iqnrhi7tzp7y7b2mppi/app.bsky.feed.post/3mmhks7wbtc23https://bsky.app/profile/thediplomat.com/post/3mmhhwzkydg2uA cable linking Matsu Island to Taiwan was severed – again. And again, Chinese vessels were operating in the area. https://buff.ly/UluUX3p22 May 2026 17:37 +0000at://did:plc:xta63iqnrhi7tzp7y7b2mppi/app.bsky.feed.post/3mmhhwzkydg2uhttps://bsky.app/profile/thediplomat.com/post/3mmhdwd2men2pIn his autobiography, Zoramthanga details how MNF rebels procured multiple Pakistani passports and how they escaped from a safehouse in New Delhi https://buff.ly/ylLY9SL22 May 2026 16:25 +0000at://did:plc:xta63iqnrhi7tzp7y7b2mppi/app.bsky.feed.post/3mmhdwd2men2phttps://bsky.app/profile/thediplomat.com/post/3mmhazd73z224The Duterte-vs-Marcos battle is much more than a domestic political matter; it could determine the fate of the South China Sea. https://buff.ly/MsN24Bg22 May 2026 15:33 +0000at://did:plc:xta63iqnrhi7tzp7y7b2mppi/app.bsky.feed.post/3mmhazd73z224https://bsky.app/profile/thediplomat.com/post/3mmh5jbnqdj2bUndersecretary of State Jacob Helberg’s comment came days after Philippine officials shot down a U.S. proposal that the 1,260-hectare zone be placed under U.S. jurisdiction. https://buff.ly/tzdRRR422 May 2026 14:30 +0000at://did:plc:xta63iqnrhi7tzp7y7b2mppi/app.bsky.feed.post/3mmh5jbnqdj2bhttps://bsky.app/profile/thediplomat.com/post/3mmh25ngk7e2iThe creation of five new districts has observers worried that New Delhi is trying to break Buddhist-Muslim solidarity in the restive region. https://buff.ly/eWq6IPE22 May 2026 13:30 +0000at://did:plc:xta63iqnrhi7tzp7y7b2mppi/app.bsky.feed.post/3mmh25ngk7e2ihttps://bsky.app/profile/thediplomat.com/post/3mmgwoimkyz2wAn account bearing the name “Sultan Ibrahim Ismail” allegedly disseminated AI-generated videos and manipulated images that defamed the monarchy. https://buff.ly/RR7GY4L22 May 2026 12:28 +0000at://did:plc:xta63iqnrhi7tzp7y7b2mppi/app.bsky.feed.post/3mmgwoimkyz2whttps://bsky.app/profile/thediplomat.com/post/3mmgtm5cmpq2hThe Duterte-vs-Marcos battle is much more than a domestic political matter; it could determine the fate of the South China Sea. https://buff.ly/MsN24Bg22 May 2026 11:33 +0000at://did:plc:xta63iqnrhi7tzp7y7b2mppi/app.bsky.feed.post/3mmgtm5cmpq2hhttps://bsky.app/profile/thediplomat.com/post/3mmgpzouhhv2wOne summit was all symbolism; the other was all substance. China made it clear who its true friend is. https://buff.ly/UqFfVRZ22 May 2026 10:29 +0000at://did:plc:xta63iqnrhi7tzp7y7b2mppi/app.bsky.feed.post/3mmgpzouhhv2whttps://bsky.app/profile/thediplomat.com/post/3mmgn2wazkq2zBeneath the summit optics lies the reality that China’s rapid nuclear transformation is increasingly straining extended deterrence and unsettling the United States’ Asian allies. https://buff.ly/jLrACUo22 May 2026 09:36 +0000at://did:plc:xta63iqnrhi7tzp7y7b2mppi/app.bsky.feed.post/3mmgn2wazkq2zhttps://bsky.app/profile/thediplomat.com/post/3mmgjm2qb6g2rSara Duterte faces impeachment (again). It could be a defining moment for the Philippines. https://buff.ly/MsN24Bg22 May 2026 08:34 +0000at://did:plc:xta63iqnrhi7tzp7y7b2mppi/app.bsky.feed.post/3mmgjm2qb6g2rhttps://bsky.app/profile/thediplomat.com/post/3mmgghwniun2bBhutanese deportees in South Asia are confronting worsening mental health conditions as prolonged statelessness, family separation, and lack of legal protection deepen psychological distress. https://buff.ly/cDfnpkJ22 May 2026 07:38 +0000at://did:plc:xta63iqnrhi7tzp7y7b2mppi/app.bsky.feed.post/3mmgghwniun2bhttps://bsky.app/profile/thediplomat.com/post/3mmgb7q6hhj2oDuring last week’s visit by multiple leaders of Turkic states to Kazakhstan, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev celebrated their shared cultural heritage but remained reluctant on the expansion of defense cooperation. https://buff.ly/ZTPaxJb22 May 2026 06:03 +0000at://did:plc:xta63iqnrhi7tzp7y7b2mppi/app.bsky.feed.post/3mmgb7q6hhj2ohttps://bsky.app/profile/thediplomat.com/post/3mmg7uwm4ij23The Philippine Supreme Court rejected a bid by Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa for a temporary ‌restraining order to prevent his arrest and transfer to the International Criminal Court (ICC). https://buff.ly/gYa5js322 May 2026 05:40 +0000at://did:plc:xta63iqnrhi7tzp7y7b2mppi/app.bsky.feed.post/3mmg7uwm4ij23https://bsky.app/profile/thediplomat.com/post/3mmg3zk6rs62uOver 80 percent of India’s border with Bangladesh now falls under the direct rule of the BJP, which thrives on anti-migrant rhetoric. https://buff.ly/N5ljI3C22 May 2026 04:31 +0000at://did:plc:xta63iqnrhi7tzp7y7b2mppi/app.bsky.feed.post/3mmg3zk6rs62uhttps://bsky.app/profile/thediplomat.com/post/3mmfyoanzp62zThe Duterte-vs-Marcos battle is much more than a domestic political matter; it could determine the fate of the South China Sea. https://buff.ly/MsN24Bg22 May 2026 03:31 +0000at://did:plc:xta63iqnrhi7tzp7y7b2mppi/app.bsky.feed.post/3mmfyoanzp62zhttps://bsky.app/profile/thediplomat.com/post/3mmfv7f7dsr2oIn his autobiography, Zoramthanga details how MNF rebels procured multiple Pakistani passports and how they escaped from a safehouse in New Delhi https://buff.ly/ylLY9SL22 May 2026 02:29 +0000at://did:plc:xta63iqnrhi7tzp7y7b2mppi/app.bsky.feed.post/3mmfv7f7dsr2ohttps://bsky.app/profile/thediplomat.com/post/3mmfs6t4omv2hFor the past couple of weeks, Kazakhstan’s social media has been buzzing with rumors of Dariga Nazarbayeva becoming the country’s vice president. https://buff.ly/leOUIxX22 May 2026 01:35 +0000at://did:plc:xta63iqnrhi7tzp7y7b2mppi/app.bsky.feed.post/3mmfs6t4omv2h