Asia Undercovered Round-up: 18 March 2026
For the last two weeks, Asia has been plunged into a severe geopolitical crisis following the U.S. and Israeli military strikes on Iran. From the horrific civilian massacres—including the bombing of a girls' elementary school in Minab—to the tragic silencing of Iranian citizens' domestic anti-regime protests, West Asia is navigating a devastating war where the true voices on the ground are being under-covered.
Middle Eastern Spillover to South Asia and Economic Shocks
The conflict between the US, Israel, and Iran is spreading beyond the Middle East into the Indian Ocean and South Asia. In a move that turned Sri Lankan waters into a direct military conflict zone for the first time since World War II, the US torpedoed and sank the Iranian warship IRIS Dena within Sri Lanka's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
Following the death of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, tens of thousands of Shia Muslims took to the streets in India and Pakistan, leading to violent protests and attempts to storm the US consulate, resulting in at least 25 deaths in Pakistan alone.
These geopolitical clashes are directly translating into economic crises. With energy flows disrupted by the potential blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, the Philippines—which relies on the Middle East for 98% of its crude oil—is taking drastic measures to fend off an "oil shock," considering a four-day workweek and ordering a 10 percent cut in public sector fuel consumption. Meanwhile, to counter supply disruptions from the Middle East, India is quickly pivoting back to Russian oil imports, taking advantage of a temporary US sanctions waiver.
Dunia's take on War in Iran
Despite mainstream media's focus on military strategies and defense stocks, the recent U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran were a meticulously planned invasion that sabotaged ongoing peace negotiations. While justified by Western powers as a push for "democratization" and "women's rights," the real objective points toward the total collapse of the Iranian regime and territorial expansion of Israel. The human cost has been devastating, marked by severe war crimes including the bombing of a girls' elementary school in Minab that killed at least 168 children.
Crucially, the genuine voices of everyday Iranians are being marginalized. Western and South Korean media disproportionately amplify pro-war exiled monarchists, ignoring that the external invasion has actually crushed the momentum of local anti-regime protests. Ironically, the Iranian government is now using the conflict to justify brutal crackdowns on domestic dissent, threatening treason charges for anyone speaking out against the regime. Iranian labor unions and progressive groups remain firm in opposing both the foreign invasion and the Islamic Republic, declaring that "the working class has nothing to gain from war".
Meanwhile, South Korea's response has drawn fierce criticism. While domestic media obsesses over the "K-Defense" stock boom driven by the conflict, the Lee Jae-myung administration is engaging in ambiguous "tightrope diplomacy". By failing to firmly condemn these civilian massacres and continuing weapons exports, civil society warns that South Korea risks becoming an accomplice in the destruction of international law.
The Trap of Proxy Wars and Silent Violations of Sovereignty
The most concerning aspect of the recent geopolitical conflicts waged by major powers is the ruthless weaponization of local ethnic minorities and regional disputes as strategic tools. The US and Israel are encouraging the mobilization of armed ethnic minority groups, such as the Kurds in Iran, to orchestrate the collapse of the Iranian regime. However, the Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK) in Iran has drawn a firm line, denying any assistance from the US or Israel, and refusing to fight a blind proxy war, stating they will "not fight other powers' wars" and will make decisions based on their own people's interests.
Beyond physical force, stealthy infiltrations are also undermining Asian security. In the Philippines, Chinese intelligence agents are using "social engineering" tactics via social media to recruit young government employees in key security agencies, such as the Department of National Defense, to extract detailed operational plans and classified documents.
In Timor-Leste, the isolated special administrative region of Oecusse attracted massive funding under the guise of digital development, only to be transformed into an illicit online gambling and scam center run by Chinese and Malaysian criminal syndicates.
Amidst physical wars and the silent penetration of intelligence and capital, the fundamental sovereignty of Asian nations is being severely compromised.
Nepal’s Political Earthquake: Gen Z Strikes Back
Exhausted by the corruption and failures of the established political elite, Nepal's youth have finally dismantled traditional power structures through the ballot box on March 5. The Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), led by 35-year-old former rapper and Kathmandu Mayor Balendra Shah (Balen), secured a landslide victory in the parliamentary elections, completely overwhelming the traditional heavyweight parties and eyeing a two-thirds majority.
With approximately 40 percent of the newly elected lawmakers under the age of 40, this election marks an unprecedented generational shift, punishing the old guard that has dominated Nepali politics since the 1990s. However, Shah's new government faces the heavy burden of rooting out corruption, alongside another daunting challenge: the rise of Hindu nationalist factions attempting to use the crisis to revive the monarchy and abolish secularism.
The Afghanistan-Pakistan War and Fragmenting Myanmar
The 2,600km border between Pakistan and Afghanistan has descended into an open war characterized by continuous airstrikes and artillery fire. The relentless clashes have displaced over 100,000 people across both countries. In response, Pakistani authorities have launched massive crackdown operations, forcibly deporting Afghan refugees and leaving former officials and journalists dangerously exposed to brutal retaliation from the Taliban.
Meanwhile, entering its fifth year of civil war, the Myanmar military junta has lost substantial territorial control, now holding only about 21% of the country. Resistance forces across five states (including Chin and Karen) are moving beyond mere territorial recapture to establish a new federal system with independent constitutions and administrative frameworks.
However, the revolutionary forces are facing severe criticism over their own internal violence, as it was revealed that officers from a battalion under the pro-democracy National Unity Government (NUG) arbitrarily detained, brutally tortured, and repeatedly raped a female colleague.
Furthermore, as the breakdown of law enforcement has turned Myanmar into the world's largest opium producer, the collateral damage of the civil war is spilling over borders, with the number of hard drug users in northern Thailand more than tripling.
Democratic Backsliding and Workers Pushed to Environmental Disasters
Suppression of civil society is also evident across the region.
In Jakarta, Indonesia, an activist from the human rights group KontraS, who had criticized the government's expanding military influence, was severely injured in an acid attack by unidentified assailants on motorcycles.
The Kyrgyz Supreme Court finalized the closure of the independent investigative outlet Kloop, branding it an "extremist organization".
In Bangladesh, the appointment of a businessman with significant conflicts of interest as the central bank governor, allegedly backed by a major conglomerate, has sparked fears regarding the privatization of economic policy.
The most vulnerable are paying the price for development and disasters.
Recently, massive garbage dumps in Rizal, Philippines, and Bantargebang, outside Jakarta, Indonesia, collapsed in succession, burying numerous waste pickers and scavengers who were working without protective gear.
In Thailand, a rush to build over 70 data centers to meet surging AI demands is destroying local ecosystems and the livelihoods of farmers and fishers, causing massive cooling water consumption and the discharge of chemical wastewater.
Asia Undercovered features round-ups and in-depth analysis of the news, events, trends, and people changing Asia, but not getting enough attention in the US media. It is curated by journalist Seulki Lee, the founder and executive director of the Asian investigative journalism network Dunia. If you liked or found any interesting and meaningful reading in this newsletter, consider buying me a coffee or donating to fuel the next round-up. I'm here every other Wednesday!
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