Asia In-Depth

BuzzFeed News reporter Megha Rajagopalan describes how China uses high-tech surveillance to monitor its Muslim minority and assesses whether this technology will soon be ubiquitous among the world's dictatorships.

Top female cricketer Sana Mir sits down with Asia Society's Tom Nagorski to discuss sports, female empowerment, and what it's like being the only girl playing cricket in the neighborhood. In addition to her cricket acclaim, Mir is a fierce activist who uses her outsized celebrity and massive social media presence to advocate for everything from mental health awareness to an end to body shaming.

Writer Pico Iyer sits down with James Shaheen, editor of 'Tricycle Magazine,' to discusses his two recent books, 'Autumn Light: Season of Fire and Farewell' and 'A Beginner's Guide to Japan: Observations and Provocations.' During the conversation, Iyer reflects on his life in Japan, his home for over 20 years, and his journey to understand and adopt the Japanese way of living, and how it has influenced the way he thinks, speaks, and writes.

In a wide-ranging conversation with Asia Society President and CEO Josette Sheeran on the Asia Society New York stage, the cricket-star-turned-politician discusses India's revocation of Kashmir's special status, his perceptions of India's evolution under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and his plans to revitalize his developing country of some 200 million.

For decades, there was a bipartisan consensus that trade between the U.S. and Asia was mutually beneficial. Now, politicians from both parties are arguing the opposite. What changed — and where is this leading to? Veteran trade negotiator and Asia Society Policy Institute Vice President Wendy Cutler joins Tom Nagorski for a discussion of how trade became so unpopular.

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.

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.