David MacSweeney

Last year in Hiroshima, I stumbled on the exact spot where the world’s first atomic bomb exploded—now a profoundly ordinary street and home to apartments, businesses and a car park.

In the wake of images from Gaza, an important reminder that recovery—though hard—is possible.

More than 100 people die of hunger in Gaza, including 80 children, say Palestinian officials Israel controls all supplies entering Gaza and has denied it is responsible for food shortages.

Future museums will see horrified visitors filing past carefully mounted copies of these reports:

news.sky.com/story/more-t...

Nothing like digesting Europe’s politics after a trip to Berlin’s leading photography space to remember everyone’s just performing — some just happen to have better lighting.

Brings to mind Omar El Akkad’s chilling book title: One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This.

Grateful to @chathamhouse.org and panellists for this evening’s discussion on how the UK can build influence on the Korean Peninsula at a critical moment for European and Indo-Pacific security.

Warm London evening offset by some cool-headed analysis.

Thanks to the #LSEFestival for hosting a fantastic discussion on the future of US-China relations with John Ikenberry, Rana Mitter, Peter Trubowitz and Nathalie Tocci.

Three Pacific nations in Trump's expanded travel ban list It's part of President Trump's crackdown on foreign nationals from countries that fail to meet "established benchmarks and requirements" for remaining in the US.

Adding Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu—with tiny populations—to the travel ban list is a unforced error. These are critical frontline Indo-Pacific states and says Washington sees you as a problem, not a key strategic partner.

Beijing 'wins' again without lifting a finger: www.rnz.co.nz/internationa...

The scramble to stand up VOA Farsi should be an urgent wake-up call about the importance of credible news in contested information spaces.

Whatever damage has been done to US credibility in the Indo-Pacific, a return to 'normal service’ would be welcome and still a strategic 'win' for democracy.

3.5% shaping up to be the new "tens of thousands".

Nevertheless, a positive step.

Hearing Hegseth talk of a possible Chinese invasion of Taiwan at #SLD25 took me back to my recent visit.

It didn’t feel like Taiwan was ready — and I tried to capture why in this piece.

The May issue of The Navigator — out now.

We track the India-Pakistan flare-up that revived nuclear fears — and the regional diplomacy that followed.

Plus: how China and India are recasting foreign policy as a tool of domestic control.

Read: buff.ly/K8rnagr

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Excellent thread.

Xi Jinping in Southeast Asia: Implications for Europe and the Indo-Pacific + Eurovision! Podcast Episode · The Bridge: Europe's Indo-Pacific Podcast · 05/23/2025 · 40m

Great episode of The Bridge @9dashline.com ft. Stephen Nagy in conversation with @zsuzsettte.bsky.social & @richheydarian.bsky.social talking about China’s diplomatic engagement in SE Asia: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...

Ireland’s ‘Silicon Island’ strategy with billions in subsidies for Samsung and TSMC could see it as a critical node linking European tech autonomy to developments across the Indo-Pacific.

Would force Dublin to address risks—i.e. cross-Strait tension, supply chain pressure, domestic security, etc.

Israel has already lost the Gaza war. It just doesn't know it yet As with Vietnam, two factors will end this slaughter: the determination of Palestinians to stay on their land, and mounting public outrage in the West

Powerful op-ed from David Hearst.

China’s position on the war means its going to be hard(er) for Asia’s Muslim democracies to maintain pro-Western alignment as images from Gaza further shape public opinion. Growing cries of hypocrisy will inevitably feed into foreign policy.

buff.ly/8pHhUll

Not just a fund—it’s a signal.

The EU is preparing for a long period of strategic competition and betting big on deterrence through debt.

Among the factors.. I suspect the UK is keen to avoid another drawn out embassy asylum/eviction drama.

People respond to what feels urgent. If the threat seems distant, the urgency to act will remain low. The challenge for Lai Ching-te’s administration is ensuring his citizens are ahead of the/any threat before it becomes a crisis—while maintaining a sense of normality.

Pressing questions for the international community.

With several high-profile arrest warrants now active, how do you hold (ex)leaders accountable without —

(a) Having justice being recast as foreign interference?

(b) Turning them into martyrs?

Taiwan’s quiet crisis: A country gripped by subtle tension | David MacSweeney Prompted by this week’s Economist cover story, and having just returned from Taiwan, I’ve been reflecting on what, at times, felt like a complex and contradictory reality. Mindful that not everything...

I recently wrote about the importance of this kind of thing: buff.ly/ON6wLlE

Beautiful day in the Principality.

China’s J-10 ‘Dragon’ shows teeth in India-Pakistan combat debut Skirmish is first test of Beijing’s military hardware against advanced western technology

“If it turns out that India lost a French jet to a Chinese missile fired from over 100km away, then that need is clearly urgent.”

Lessons for everyone.

www.ft.com/content/ff46...

Life in Taiwan feels remarkably normal. And that might be the real danger. I’ve tried to capture some thoughts after a recent visit.

Read here: buff.ly/ZOMUTxm

Among the most important of all annual rankings.

Some very interesting positions.

Thanks to Niall McCabe for a fantastic show and a great cover of Paul Brady's The Island.

Not just China hawks. Both Waltz and Wong were largely viewed as competent, rational actors and voices of reason within an administration of loyalists. With these two removed, Trump has fewer qualified national security experts giving him advice on a range of global crises.

"Israel has closed all crossings and it has turned Rafah itself, once a refuge for almost 1.5 million displaced Palestinians into a post-apocalyptic wasteland"

Not principally about tariffs—difficult to maintain a constructive long term relationship with someone whose core belief means they are likely to perceive any willingness to negotiate as proof they were being targeted.

Everyone loses by reinforcing that assumption and emboldening action elsewhere.

9DASHLINE — A superpower diminished: Trump’s chaotic foreign policy is undermining US credibility in Asia Written by Hunter Marston. Despite the opportunity presented by American retrenchment, China lacks the soft power to step in as a natural leader and its economic and political influence continue to be...

"Despite the opportunity presented by American retrenchment, China lacks the soft power to step in as a natural leader and its economic and political influence continue to be met with suspicion by regional elites" buff.ly/DmHoDCQ | by @hmarston.bsky.social

Great question.