A history of South Korea I recently read is titled *Shrimp to Whale* by Ramon Pacheco Pardo. The title alludes to a Korean proverb stating that when whales fight, the shrimp’s back gets broken.
Asia
Let us turn, however, to the situation in East Asia. On August 12, Putin visited Iturup Island in the Kuril chain—touring a fish processing plant and some schools—an event that sparked quite a controversy, so to speak.
It began with one sentence a prime minister didn’t need to say. Ten months later, Japan and China are locked in their worst rupture in a generation.
In what observers are calling the most consequential election in Bangladesh’s recent history, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) swept to a commanding parliamentary victory on Friday, ending nearly two decades in the political wilderness and setting the stage for a dramatic new chapter in the South Asian nation’s turbulent democratic journey.
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – October 27, 2025 – In a significant diplomatic push, world leaders assembled in Malaysia on Monday to explore avenues for enhancing economic and trade relations, against the backdrop of impending U.S. tariffs.
Many global analysts predict that India will be the next great economic power: Goldman Sachs has predicted that it will become the world’s second-largest economy by 2075 and Martin Wolf of the Financial Times
On the 21st of October, the Takaichi has been selected as the 104th Prime Minister of Japan by the Japanese Parliament, which has stopped the persistent political deadlock situation after the resignation of Ishiba Shigeru on the September 7th.
Against the backdrop of intensifying great power rivalry and sluggish global economic growth, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) stands at a strategic crossroads that will determine its future destiny.
