In the past year, Laos has witnessed more popular unrest than it has in decades. Under normal circumstances, the regime would typically respond to any public displays of dissent by cracking down on protesters and circling its wagons. But amid severe economic distress, many citizens are increasingly undaunted by the fear of repression.
After decades of insufficient funding, misguided investments and poor strategic planning, the U.S. has allowed its position of maritime superiority in the Indo-Pacific to slip away. As a result, China has seized the initiative to threaten not only the United States’ military position in the region, but its economic status as well.
Many observers have downplayed Chinese President Xi Jinping’s trip to Moscow last week to meet with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, saying it did little for Moscow. Others argued that it even sealed Russia’s fate as a vassal of China, whose domination of their partnership is now “complete.” But this might be short-sighted.
