Democracy and societyJapan's young people are left behind Japan's youth are levelling heavy criticism against holding the Olympic Games — but it's falling on deaf ears. A new form of protest could change that By Momoko Nojo
Democracy and societyVaccine nationalism is a recipe for disaster While Europe celebrates the end of the pandemic, Covid-19 continues to ravage across Global South countries like Nepal. That puts everyone at risk By Jonathan Menge, Chandra Dev Bhatta
Democracy and societyJapan's gold medal in pandemic mismanagement Government corruption, insufficient testing, a weakened health system. Despite its negligent pandemic response, Japan presses on with the Olympics By Kenichi Mishima
Democracy and societyWhy Covid-19 is running amok in India In India, more than a third of a million Covid-19 cases are being reported daily. It's an extreme example of the privileging of profits over lives By Jayati Ghosh
Democracy and societyEurope, get off your sofa and do something about Myanmar! With the rising violence in Myanmar, the EU is yet to impose targeted sanctions and stand up to Russia’s and China’s backing of the junta By Frank Hoffer
Economy and ecologyInside China's decarbonisation challenge Last year, Xi Jinping announced ambitious climate targets. But China's reluctant state apparatus struggles to reconcile high growth and climate policy By Alexander Kallweit
Democracy and societyNepal’s ongoing political limbo The Communists' 2017 landslide victory was a chance at stability and development. But an escalating intra-party conflict has led Nepal into crisis By Dinesh Bhattarai
Future of social democracyThe abrupt end to Malaysia's democratic awakening While the progressive opposition is in disarray, Covid-19 has been abused to declare a state of emergency and dissolve Malaysia's parliament By Jörg Schmilewski
Foreign and security policyWhose post-pandemic century? Asian countries managed Covid-19 far better than the West. But it remains to be seen whether 2020 marked the beginning of a new 'Asian Century' By Bill Emmott
Foreign and security policyAfghanistan is on the brink Violence is on the rise again in Afghanistan. Amid inevitable troop withdrawals, the question of dialogue with the Taliban shifts from 'if' to 'how' By Magdalena Kirchner