Asia

In this episode of Need to Know, we focus on Pakistan's political and economic situation, as well as its relationship with the United States. Michael Kugelman, Deputy Director of the Wilson Center's IndoPacific program, covers topics such as the health of democracy in the wake of the recent election, the country's ongoing economic crisis, and the value of US support for democracy and human rights. Kugelman highlights the challenges and complexities facing Pakistan and provides insights into the current state of affairs. Pakistan's democracy is facing challenges, with increasing crackdowns on the opposition and concerns about electoral irregularities.The country is dealing with a severe economic crisis and is seeking a loan from the IMF to stabilize its economy.US support for democracy ...

China’s National People’s Congress completed its 2024 session this week with nary a word about addressing the country’s most serious economic problems. The government did announce economic targets for the coming year and expounded upon its lofty pursuit of high-tech industrialization. But the week of meetings offered no real insight into how Chinese leader Xi Jinping intends to deal with a deepening property crisis, trillions of dollars of local government debt, falling prices, soaring youth unemployment, the loss of business and consumer confidence, and a rapidly aging society. For a government that takes pride in announcing reams of policy blueprints and diktats, the absence of any detail on how it plans to take on these interlocking issues left the inevitable conclusion that Beij...