Join us on 15 July for the Royal Society for Asian Affairs' annual Lord Denman Memorial Lecture with the Rt Hon Baroness Warsi PC. This will be followed by a reception with wine, canapés and music to celebrate the Society's 125th anniversary. 🎟️ Lecture: £25 | Reception: £25 Link in comments.

Is democracy in South Asia really in decline? In our latest blog, Sumit Sharma Sameer and Dr Pankaj Adhikari argue that the region's democracies are better understood as cycles of erosion, resistance and renewal. Link in the comments. #SouthAsia #Democracy

📖 A long read for the weekend: read Jessica Sequeira's new essay for the ARB, "Beyond the Score: Performance, Power, and the Hidden Histories of Music in India" 👇️ Follow the link below. asianreviewofbooks.com/beyond-the-s...

As Western leaders seek renewed engagement with Beijing, understanding China requires more than current events. Professor Michael Luk and Bryan Luk argue that the legacy of the May Fourth Movement still shapes China's worldview and foreign policy. Link in comments. #China #MayFourth

Looking for your next read? Back issues of Caravanserai are available in print and digital formats, including our latest available issue exploring economic transformation, technological change, and strategic competition across Asia. Discover the collection on our website. Link in comments.

Catch up on yesterday's online event with photojournalist Claire Thomas, who discusses her new book ALTAI: Hunters and Herders of Mongolia, recently published by Hemeria. The presentation takes us into the highlands, homes, and hearts of ethnic Kazakh herders. Link in the comments. #Mongolia

Once celebrated as Central Asia's democratic oasis, Kyrgyzstan is facing its most severe crackdown on independent journalism since independence. Our latest blog explores the decline of media freedom and its implications for the country's future. Link in the comments. #Kyrgyzstan #MediaFreedom

From Tamerlane's court to today's climate summits, Uzbekistan is reasserting itself on the world stage. In our latest blog, Sophie Ibbotson explores its growing role in environmental diplomacy. Link in the comments. #Uzbekistan #ClimateDiplomacy #CentralAsia

From Arctic Siberia’s frozen roads to wartime propaganda echo chambers, a hike becomes an unintended journey into a war-torn psychological landscape. Charlie Walker reflects on a 600-mile trek across Yakutia after the Ukraine invasion. Link in comments. #Russia #UkraineWar #Siberia

Treaty ports, revolution, gangland intrigue and economic change shaped Shanghai. Professor Michael Dillon traces its journey from colonialism to reform and resurgence - and what it may signal for China’s future. Link in comments. #Shanghai #China #ChineseHistory

ALTAI: Hunters and Herders of Mongolia - join us for this online talk with British photojournalist Claire Thomas on 18 June 2026 at 15.00 BST. Recently published by Hemeria, Claire's book invites us into the highlands, homes, and hearts of ethnic Kazakh herders. Find out more in the comments.

Catch up on yesterday's fascinating discussion between Sophie Ibbotson and author and journalist Joe Luc Barnes, exploring his new book, Farewell to Russia: A Journey Through the Former USSR. Link in the comments. #FormerUSSR #Russia #BookTalk

Martin Purbrick investigates the murky tale of an alleged deal between the British authorities in Hong Kong and triad organised crime groups during the Japanese invasion in 1941. Link in comments. #AsianStudies #HongKong

Shakar Ibrahim of the University of Sulaimani and Zhilwan Tahir of the International Islamic University Malaysia argue that the historic power struggle between different groups in Kirkuk could gradually develop into a more effective political process that encourages collaboration. Link in comments.

Panch Rishi Dev Sharma of the University of Lucknow and the University of Victoria examines every invocation of ‘president’s rule’ over the past 75 years and finds it’s largely used to ‘discipline’ states ruled by different parties from those in power in Delhi. Link in comments. #AsianStudies #India

Adam Burakowski of the Institute of Political Studies Polish Academy of Sciences tells the story of the Aam Aadmi anti-corruption movement that swept to power in Delhi in 2015 only to be swept away again in 2025. Link in comments. #AsianStudies #India

Baurzhan Rakhmetov of Maqsut Narikbayev University and Cardiff University explains the hybrid working of internet censorship in Kazakhstan, combining laws with harassment. Link in comments. #AsianStudies #Kazakhstan

Bakhytzhan Kurmanov of the University of Central Asia and Gaziz Abishev of Oxford Nizami Ganjavi Centre at the University of Oxford show how President Tokayev is slowly undoing the previous consensus on nationality issues and creating a new, more Kazakh-focused, state. Link in comments. #Kazakhstan

In a ground-breaking article, Rakhmanali Bekmirzayev of Fergana State University, Uzbekistan shows how the architectures of different social media platforms has contributed to improving or worsening inter-ethnic relations in the Fergana Valley of Central Asia. Link in comments. #Uzbekistan

Yao Bowen of S Rajaratnam School of International Studies argues that the failure of China to capitalise on Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs stems from its inability to provide allies of the US with a credible long-term alternative offer. Link in comments. #AsianStudies #China

The latest issue of Asian Affairs is out with authors from across Asia looking at politics, international affairs and society from Beijing to Kirkuk. Link in comments. #AsianAffairsJournal #AsianStudies #AsiaResearch

Covert failures in Maoist China and deceptive intelligence networks in North Korea reveal how US intelligence gaps were built over time through missteps, shifting priorities, and eroded expertise. In our latest blog, Dr Nick Miller explores this history. Link in the comments. #ColdWar #China #DPRK

Catch up with today’s online lecture by Dr Nick Miller on the failures of the US intelligence community to understand two of the world’s most secretive political systems: Maoist China and North Korea, and the highly relevant lessons for today. Link in the comments. #ColdWar #China #DPRK #CIA

Succession and Secrecy: Intelligence on Mao Zedong and Kim Il-sung - join us for this online lecture with Dr Nick Miller on 28 May 2026 at 13:00 BST. Find out more and register using the link in the comments. #China #DPRK #CIA

From corporate inclusion to environmental strain, extractive development reshapes women’s lives in complex and unequal ways. In our latest blog, Jonathan Manullang examines the gendered impacts of the Martabe Gold Mine in Batang Toru, Indonesia. Link in the comments. #ExtractiveIndustries #Indonesia

Farewell to Russia: A Journey Through the Former USSR - join us for this online Reading Room discussion with author and journalist Joe Luc Barnes, hosted by Sophie Ibbotson on 2 June 2026 at 18.00 BST. Find out more and register for free here - loom.ly/EBwKcMA

From a rusting WWII landing ship to a frontline outpost, the BRP Sierra Madre reflects shifting conflict and territorial struggle. Bianka Venkataramani traces its history and present in the South China Sea. Link in comments. #SouthChinaSea Image - Au Nguyen — CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Succession and Secrecy: Intelligence on Mao Zedong and Kim Il-sung - join us for this online lecture with Dr Nick Miller on 28 May 2026 at 13:00 BST. Find out more and register using the link in the comments. #China #DPRK #CIA

From post-Soviet transition to the limits of market orthodoxy, development in Central Asia has followed a complex path beyond reformers’ expectations. Kaut Akizhanov examines why neoclassical approaches fall short and the case for a pluralist view of economic transformation. Link in comments.

Why is Armenia moving closer to the EU? In Asian Affairs, Agnieszka Miarka of Uniwersytet Śląski w Katowicach argues that it’s the effect of changes in domestic policy, Moscow’s displeasure and the loss of Nagorno-Karabakh. Link in comments. #Nagorno-Karabakh #Armenia #EU

Prime Minister Balendra Shah has begun his tenure with striking momentum - but can early symbolism translate into lasting change? Sumit Sharma Sameer and Dr Pankaj Adhikari assess his first month and the deeper forces shaping Nepal’s political future. Link in comments. #Nepal #GenZ #BalendraShah

From windswept valleys in western Mongolia to the bond between horse and rider, life in the Altai Mountains reveals a world where tradition is still lived rather than remembered. Claire Thomas explores Kazakh eagle hunters, nomadic herding, and horsemanship in Bayan-Ölgii. Link in comments.

From Zen philosophy to modern materialism, wabi sabi offers a quiet challenge to how we live and what we value. Michael Neale explores how imperfection, impermanence, and simplicity might serve as an antidote to an increasingly fractured world. #WabiSabi #JapaneseCulture #Philosophy

Turkmenistan Beyond Independence: State, Society and Identity - join us for this online panel discussion with Dr Victoria Clement, Dr Slavomír Horák and Anton Ikhsanov on 7 May 2026 at 18:00 BST. Find out more and register using the link in the comments. #Turkmenistan

Catch up with yesterday's fascinating online panel discussion looking at Xi Jinping Thought and the balance between power, prosperity and security in the Chinese party-state. Link to the recording in the comments. #China #XiJinping #CCP

From life in forgotten camps to the threat of starvation, the Rohingya crisis is entering a dangerous new phase. Dr Rónán Lee examines conditions in Bangladesh’s camps, the impact of aid cuts, and why policies meant to contain refugees risk deepening their vulnerability. Link in the comments.

Iran and Pakistan are neighbours without being friends. As Islamabad hosts Middle East peace talks, this article by Dr Robert Czulda of the University of Lodz takes a long view of the two countries’ difficult relationship. Link in comments. #Iran #Pakistan

Join us this evening for an panel discussion with @chizhang.bsky.social, Dr Olivia Cheung, @vicshih.bsky.social and Prof Sarah Eaton, moderated by Professor Ho-fung Hung, entitled Xi Jinping Thought and the Chinese Party-State: Power, Prosperity and Security. Link in comments. #China #XiJinping

From village songs to migration histories, Bhojpuri folk traditions preserve memory beyond archives. In our latest blog, Simit Bhagat explores how bidesia records labour and longing, why these traditions are declining, and what is at stake in preserving them. Link in the comments.

From internal discipline to regional diplomacy, the Taliban’s rule is more resilient than expected — but fragile. In our latest blog, Dr Hassan Abbas examines how power has consolidated around Hibatullah Akhundzada and what vulnerabilities still threaten the emirate. Link in comments. #Afghanistan

Xi Jinping Thought and the Chinese Party-State: Power, Prosperity and Security - join us for this online panel discussion with @chizhang.bsky.social, Dr Olivia Cheung, @vicshih.bsky.social and Prof Sarah Eaton, moderated by Professor Ho-fung Hung on 16 April 2026 at 18:00 BST. Link in comments.

From direct local votes to a proposal for indirect elections, #Indonesia’s democracy may be approaching a turning point. In our latest blog, Muhammad Aqshadigrama examines how the reform could strengthen party bossism and concerns about the drift toward illiberal democracy - loom.ly/llkeKps

From a documentary screening to a moment of uneasy reflection, the realities facing Afghan women are impossible to ignore. @lovejitd.bsky.social reflects on The Last Ambassador and asks why the world’s response to the Taliban’s system of gender apartheid remains so muted - https://loom.ly/3UaIdd4

From missile strikes to maritime chokepoints, #Iran’s regional strategy is targeting more than just its adversaries. In our latest blog, Charles J Sullivan explores how Tehran’s asymmetric warfare is pressuring the UAE, unsettling global markets, and testing US protection - https://loom.ly/6aJEGxg

Yesterday, we launched an series marking 35 years of independence for the Central Asian republics and 125 years of the RSAA. Our first event explored Uzbekistan and a decade under Mirziyoyev, with Joanna Lillis, Dilmira Matyakubova, Farkhad Tolipov and Franco Galdini - https://loom.ly/jE7Vixc

From burning streets to a political earthquake at the ballot box, #Nepal’s Gen Z movement has reshaped the country’s future. In our latest blog, Suprina Thapa explores how a protest movement toppled an entrenched political order - and what comes next. Read here - https://loom.ly/FrCj9BU

From Kurdish groups to Azeri communities, could outside efforts to mobilise minorities destabilise far more than Tehran? James M Dorsey examines the risks of turning #Iran’s diversity into a battleground. Read here - https://loom.ly/4hMDsME

From shadowy corridors of power to #Iran’s leadership, Mojtaba Khamenei has long been a figure of speculation. What does his sudden rise signal for Iran? James M Dorsey examines why his rule could shape prospects for confrontation or compromise https://loom.ly/RFxw_3U#Iran (Image - Tasnim News Agency)

From air raids to online classrooms, #Myanmar’s students are refusing to give up on their future. In our latest blog, Prospect Burma reflects on how education continues against the odds — and why hope still matters in the midst of conflict. Read here - https://loom.ly/uaLcNB0

Yesterday's Reading Room saw @meganeaves.com in conversation with Sophie Ibbotson about her new book Nightfaring: In Search of the Disappearing Darkness. If you were unable to make it, you can catch up with the recording here https://loom.ly/m5aL7XU