The hottest East Asia Substack posts right now

During the Cold War North Korea played the Soviet Union and China off each other to win large amounts of aid, which made the regime relatively prosperous by the 1970s.
When the USSR collapsed and aid dried up, North Korea suffered severe economic collapse and famine, and the regime survived by using provocations and a nuclear deterrent to extract food and assistance while prioritizing the military.
Since 2022 Pyongyang has deepened ties with Russia, trading arms and support for oil, food, and technology, which appears to be easing shortages, fueling construction, and strengthening the regime’s stability.

War over Taiwan would have a significant cost in blood and treasure, surpassing previous global crises like the war in Ukraine and Covid pandemic.
A conflict in Taiwan would devastate its economy by around 40%, impacting other major economies like China and the US.
The global GDP would suffer a significant 10.2% decline, with countries like South Korea and Japan most affected.

The Pacific War was a uniquely vast and complex conflict fought across a contiguous oceanic theater, using air, submarine, surface, and amphibious forces and often resembling positional, continental-style warfare despite being fought from the sea.
Japan had no single coherent grand strategy; the protracted war in China turned into a crippling resource sink that forced mobilization, worsened Army–Navy rivalry, and pushed Tokyo into desperate, contradictory choices that made southern expansion and confrontation more likely.
U.S. policy of escalating economic pressure—most importantly the effective oil embargo after Japan’s move into Indochina—helped corner Japan and create the political will for war, and the eventual American victory relied not just on industrial overmatch but on decisive early battles and operational innovations like the fast carrier task force, amphibious doctrine, and submarine warfare.

A 19th-century reconnaissance account describes a journey across the Greater Khingan Mountains from the Trans‑Baikal frontier to the Amur River and Blagoveshchensk, recording geographic details and travel experiences in northern Manchuria.
The material is presented in translation with contextual notes, a source reference, and illustrative photos (including landscapes and temple idols) to help visualize the route.
The content is published on a subscription platform that offers some free access but encourages paid subscriptions for full content.

China's rapid economic growth is shaped by strong government support for industries, which contrasts with the U.S. approach to free trade. Learning from China's industrial policy could be important for America's future.
Literature can provide a deep insight into China's past and present, highlighting how individual stories reflect broader historical trends and challenges faced by the country.
Understanding China's history helps explain its current policies and attitudes, especially concerning foreign influence and internal stability, as shown through key events like the Taiping Rebellion.

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Trump talks tough and keeps a "tough guy" image, but his military actions have been limited pinpricks that avoid dragging the U.S. into another forever war.
Peace negotiations over Ukraine are largely Kabuki theater for public opinion, while the real contest is on the battlefield where Russia currently holds the advantage.
Taiwan is a dangerous flashpoint in East Asia, but a full-scale war seems unlikely soon because neither side would win and both therefore have strong incentives to avoid fighting.

Political risk is now the primary global uncertainty, with higher chances of direct military clashes between major powers and a broader geopolitical slowdown.
The current U.S. presidency increases unpredictability and erodes traditional guardrails, raising the risk of accidental conflicts while also making unusual diplomatic outcomes, like a deal with North Korea, more conceivable.
Cyber attacks and other non-nuclear threats are growing and hard to deter or attribute, and the old rules-based global order is fragmenting into more regional, thematic, or multi-stakeholder systems.

Honor culture is more prevalent in regions where legal systems are weak or absent.
East Asian cultures are often characterized as 'face cultures' where reputation and relationships with others are of great importance.
Face culture values humility, harmony, and hierarchy, and is distinct from both honor culture and victimhood culture.

NATO leaders are warning about the possibility of war with Russia.
Tensions are rising in various regions, including the Middle East, Taiwan, and Ukraine.
The situation in Ukraine is critical, with concerns mounting about a potential Russian offensive.