“Red carpet welcome for them! » wrote an Instagram user in Malaysia. Virtual cheers and applause emojis greeted the arrival of Ocean Thunder at Pengerang Port on April 5. The tanker, carrying a million barrels of Basrah Heavy crude, was among the first ships to leave the Strait of Hormuz after the Iranian conflict erupted in late February. The safe transit of Ocean Thunder was a diplomatic victory for Anwar Ibrahim, the Malaysian Prime Minister. In a telephone conversation with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on March 26, Anwar negotiated safe passage for seven ships. The tankers were chartered by a…
Author: Frank M. Everett
The Indonesian rupiah is currently trading at around 17,400 to the US dollar. The currency, which has been steadily weakening against the dollar for many years, surpassed the 17,000 mark last week and is now at its weakest point in history. It is weaker than it was at the height of the Asian financial crisis, an event that severely damaged the economy and took the country many years to recover from. Why is the rupee currently weakening and are we on the verge of another financial crisis? To answer the first question, currencies tend to rise and fall in response…
Mira Rapp-Hooper joined the RFA Board of Directors in April 2026. An expert on national security and strategy issues in Asia, she is currently an Associate at The Asia Group and a Visiting Scholar at the Brookings Institute. She has held several positions at the highest levels of government, including Senior Director for East Asia and Oceania at the White House National Security Council (NSC) and Director of the NSC’s Indo-Pacific Strategy. She also served as a Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.
Olivia Enos joined the RFA Board of Directors in April 2026. She is currently a Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute, writing on a wide range of human rights and national security issues in Asia, and an Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University. She previously worked as the Washington director of the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation, and before that as a senior policy analyst for Asian studies at the Heritage Foundation.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick is the first Cabinet official to testify before the House Oversight Committee as part of its investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, and Democrats on the Oversight Committee briefed the media during Lutnick’s testimony, where they accused the secretary of state of lying to Congress.PoliticusUSA is news and opinion that delivers the information you need. Support us by becoming a subscriber.Rep. Yassamin Ansari (D-AZ) said:After what we’ve seen so far in this transcribed interview, I feel very comfortable saying that Howard Lutnick is a pathological liar who is enabling the most blatant cover-up in American history. We’ve now…
Powerful factors have driven Chinese companies to overseas ports where they serve as builders, financiers, investors, terminal operators and more. Equally powerful factors motivated Beijing to support them. Part 1 in this four-part series among others delved into the domestic and commercial motivations behind the Chinese port push, profiled China’s overseas port presence, and surveyed the raging storm over the economic, political, and military downsides of China’s strong footprint in foreign ports. The theme of Chinese ports remains at the forefront. China steps up detention of Panama-flagged ships following the end of CK Hutchison’s operating role at two key Panama…
There is perpetual activity around Donald Trump, but most of it is not government related. The second Trump administration is characterized by a cyclone of activity aimed at destroying guardrails and norms. Breaking down the guardrails sets the stage for corruption on a scale the American people have not seen in the presidency in centuries. PoliticusUSA is 100% independent. We are not influenced by any political party or particular interest. Support us by becoming a subscriber.Traditionally, former presidents stay away from day-to-day politics. They may campaign for their party in an election year, but they don’t stand aside and criticize.…
For years, the rivalry between China and Japan was treated as a recurring diplomatic irritant. Historical grievances stemming from Japan’s invasion of China in the early 20th century have always created animosity in relations. Despite the general sense of bitterness and frequent tensions over the disputed islands, China and Japan have managed to maintain deep and closely-knit economic relations. But the latest escalation is different. This hinges on a broader strategic question of whether Japan remains a restrained postwar power or becomes a more powerful military player in the balance of power against China. Tokyo appears to have chosen the…
Diplomat author Mercy Kuo regularly engages subject matter experts, policy practitioners, and strategic thinkers from around the world for their diverse perspectives on U.S. Asia policy. This conversation with Rosie Levine – Executive Director of the US-China Education Trust and member of the USCET Task Force Report “The Chinese Talent Challenge in America: Investing in a Deeper American Understanding of China” (2026) – is the 507th in “The Trans-Pacific View Insight Series.” Why will the United States face a Chinese skills shortage over the next decade and what will the potential consequences be? Through this project’s consultations with more than…
Potentially for the first time in the country’s history, the American people are witnessing in real time the decline of a president. PoliticusUSA delivers information and opinions that other media outlets do not. Support us by becoming a subscriber.The mental and physical decline of Donald Trump is the great unsaid of the vast majority of the institutional media. The Trump administration itself is running North Korea-wide propaganda about the president’s strength and fitness, but the truth continues to appear on camera. On Tuesday, Trump signed a proclamation reinstating the presidential fitness test in American schools, and during the event promoting…