Central Asia & Caucasus Data

Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was sentenced to life imprisonment by a Seoul court on Thursday for spearheading an insurrection through his December 3, 2024, martial law decree. Yoon and other defendants, including his former defense minister, who was given 30 years in prison, undermined the core values of democracy by trying to The post Yoon conviction stirs questions of judicial overreach appeared first on Asia Times.

Fujitsu’s February 12 announcement that it will begin domestic production of “sovereign AI” servers marks a significant milestone in Japan’s quest for digital autonomy. Coming on the heels of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s resounding election victory this month, the move fits snugly into the new administration’s hard-nosed realism narrative. In a world defined by intensifying The post Why Japan’s new realism needs a human heart appeared first on Asia Times.

After the US captured Venezuela’s president at the start of 2026, Donald Trump promised to “unleash” the country’s oil supply. He wanted companies to invest US$100 billion to get hold of it. Big Oil though, seems less than keen on that idea, appearing to consider Venezuela too expensive or risky. Exxon Mobil’s unenthusiastic response, describing The post Why Big Oil wants no part of Trump-seized Venezuela appeared first on Asia Times.

There’s been a lot of talk about middle powers lately. Nothing new there, perhaps, but this time there’s also been some middle-power action. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has single-handedly demonstrated that not only is it possible for leaders of middle powers to think independently, but they can also put good ideas into practice if The post Mark Carney’s middle-power masterclass appeared first on Asia Times.