Under pressure from China, Thailand has begun its most significant crackdown to date on the transnational crime groups that dominate the Myanmar-Thailand border region. USIP’s Jason Tower explains what prompted the crackdown, how it will impact global efforts to curb transnational crime, what it says about China’s growing influence in the region, and how this all affects U.S. security interests.

Type: Question and Answer

Once a U.S. colony and now a U.S. treaty ally, the Philippines sits at the heart of geopolitical contestation in East Asia. It is also home to a half-century old internal conflict that has long spawned transnational threats to global security.

Type: Fact Sheet

Six months after Bangladesh’s repressive Awami League (AL) government was overthrown in a student-led uprising, Bangladesh’s democratic reformation is entering a critical phase. The reform commissions setup by Muhammad Yunus’s interim government (IG), which took power on August 8, are set to release their recommendations for dramatic changes to the country’s democratic institutions. Under Yunus’s stewardship, political parties and student leaders will now sit to forge a consensus on what reforms to pursue and when to hold elections. A breakdown of these negotiations would blunt momentum toward much-needed reforms and could tilt the country into political chaos.

Type: Analysis