A week ago, one of Myanmar’s most powerful ethnic armed alliances launched a coordinated attack on a dozen military outposts in northern Shan State, along the country’s eastern border with China. Code-named Operation 1027, the plan is to assert and defend territory against Myanmar military incursions, eradicate “oppressive military dictatorship”, and combat online fraud along the border, according to a statement from...

Conflict Analysis & Prevention

China's Special Envoy Zhai Jun wrapped up his tour of the Middle East this week, but some analysts say Beijing lacks the clout to help bring about a detente in the war between Israel and Hamas, even if it wants to. The U.S. has urged Israel to allow a humanitarian pause in its bombardment of Gaza City. The death toll in the Palestinian enclave has passed 9,000, according the Hamas-run health ministry there. Women and children comprise 70 percent of...

Democracy & Governance

Human Rights;  Democracy & Governance

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese made a state visit to the White House on Wednesday, using the pageantry-filled program to deepen cooperation with the U.S. around nuclear-powered attack submarines and their joint military presence in the Indo-Pacific — moves seen as critical to counter China’s increased...

Democracy & Governance;  Mediation, Negotiation & Dialogue

Something that by current standards would seem truly remarkable happened 25 years ago today: Washington worked in a bipartisan fashion to pass groundbreaking legislation to make the world a better place. The International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 equipped the United States with unprecedented tools to defend freedom of belief and conscience, set captives free and encourage reforms. As we reach IRFA’s silver anniversary, we should...

Religion;  Human Rights

An intensifying dispute in the South China Sea could have significant repercussions for China's attempt to seize territory from the Philippines and even ignite a military standoff between the communist regime and the United States. “We're at the point where [China’s] next step here is use of deadly force or to back off,” American Enterprise Institute nonresident fellow Mike Mazza told the Washington Examiner. “And backing off is possible — it's not like China has...

Fragility & Resilience;  Conflict Analysis & Prevention

Zhang Hongliang, a former restaurant manager in central China, took various gigs in and outside China to support his family after losing his job during the COVID-19 pandemic.In March, a job offer to teach Chinese cooking at a restaurant led him into a cyber scam compound in Myanmar, where he was instead ordered to lure Chinese into giving up their savings for fake investment schemes via social media platforms. Zhang is one of tens of thousands of people, mostly but not all Chinese, who have...

Human Rights;  Justice, Security & Rule of Law