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    • Column One
      • Afghanistan
      • American Samoa
      • Armenia
      • Australia
      • Azerbaijan
      • Bahrain
      • Bangladesh
      • Bhutan
      • Brunei
      • Cambodia
      • Central Asia
      • China
      • Cook Islands

      • Cyprus
      • East Asia
      • East Timor
      • Fiji
      • French Polynesia
      • Georgia
      • Guam
    • Column Two
      • Hong Kong
      • India
      • Indonesia
      • Iran
      • Iraq
      • Israel
      • Japan
      • Jordan
      • Kazakhstan
      • Kiribati
      • Kuwait
      • Kyrgyzstan
      • Laos
      • Lebanon
      • Macau
      • Malaysia
      • Maldives
      • Marshall Islands
      • Micronesia
      • Mongolia
    • Column Three
      • Myanmar
      • Nauru
      • Nepal
      • New Caledonia
      • New Zealand
      • Niue
      • North Korea
      • Northern Marianas
      • Oceania
      • Oman
      • Pakistan
      • Palau
      • Palestine
      • Papua New Guinea
      • Philippines
      • Qatar
      • Samoa
      • Saudi Arabia
      • Singapore
      • Solomon Islands
    • Column Four
      • South Asia
      • Southeast Asia
      • South Korea
      • Sri Lanka
      • Syria
      • Taiwan
      • Tajikistan
      • Thailand
      • Tibet
      • Tokelau
      • Tonga
      • Turkey
      • Turkmenistan
      • Tuvalu
      • United Arab Emirates
      • Uzbekistan
      • Vanuatu
      • Vietnam
      • Wallis and Futuna
      • West Asia
      • Yemen
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  • Countries & Regions
    • Column One
      • Afghanistan
      • American Samoa
      • Armenia
      • Australia
      • Azerbaijan
      • Bahrain
      • Bangladesh
      • Bhutan
      • Brunei
      • Cambodia
      • Central Asia
      • China
      • Cook Islands

      • Cyprus
      • East Asia
      • East Timor
      • Fiji
      • French Polynesia
      • Georgia
      • Guam
    • Column Two
      • Hong Kong
      • India
      • Indonesia
      • Iran
      • Iraq
      • Israel
      • Japan
      • Jordan
      • Kazakhstan
      • Kiribati
      • Kuwait
      • Kyrgyzstan
      • Laos
      • Lebanon
      • Macau
      • Malaysia
      • Maldives
      • Marshall Islands
      • Micronesia
      • Mongolia
    • Column Three
      • Myanmar
      • Nauru
      • Nepal
      • New Caledonia
      • New Zealand
      • Niue
      • North Korea
      • Northern Marianas
      • Oceania
      • Oman
      • Pakistan
      • Palau
      • Palestine
      • Papua New Guinea
      • Philippines
      • Qatar
      • Samoa
      • Saudi Arabia
      • Singapore
      • Solomon Islands
    • Column Four
      • South Asia
      • Southeast Asia
      • South Korea
      • Sri Lanka
      • Syria
      • Taiwan
      • Tajikistan
      • Thailand
      • Tibet
      • Tokelau
      • Tonga
      • Turkey
      • Turkmenistan
      • Tuvalu
      • United Arab Emirates
      • Uzbekistan
      • Vanuatu
      • Vietnam
      • Wallis and Futuna
      • West Asia
      • Yemen
  • Current Affairs
    • Topics
      • Business
      • Climate Change
      • Governance
    • Programming
      • Beyond the Headlines
      • Business of Asia
    • Center on U.S.-China Relations
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      • Past Events
      • ChinaFile
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2012: Asia's Year in Review

December 21st, 2012
2012 Year in Review

Join us as we look back on noteworthy events and trends from the past year, and look forward to what they might mean for 2013. Check back for daily updates into the new year.

  • Former Chinese President Jiang Zemin, left, walks past then Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping, right, after the closing session of the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party in November 2012. (Feng Li/Getty Images)

    Will Xi Jinping be Different?

    Political scientist Andrew Nathan discusses newly installed Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s relationship to his predecessors Hu Jintao and Jiang Zemin, the likelihood of political reform under Xi.
  • A Japanese flotilla from Japan's coast guard is vigilant in defending the waters off the Senkaku/Diaoyu islands. (Al Jazeera English/Flickr)

    China-Japan Relations on the Rocks

    John Ciorciari argues that in 2013, economic concerns should take precedence over nationalism in the conflict over the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands.
  • U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta meets with Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping prior to a meeting in Beijing on Sept. 19, 2012. (U.S. Secretary of Defense/Flickr)

    Northeast Asia's Year of Transitions

    With resurgent nationalism just one trend potentially threatening the region, the new leaders settling into office need to provide steady hands.
  • South Korean presidential candidate Park Geun-hye (C) of the ruling New Frontier Party waves to her supporters in Seoul on Dec. 18, 2012, one day before her historic victory. (Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Images)

    The Korean Peninsula in 2013

    Associate Fellow Katharine Moon says the Korean peninsula's dynastic leaders have a chance to improve on the mistakes of their fathers — but the obstacles are many.
  • A worker puts up a sign to bring in the new year ahead of Myanmar's first public New Year countdown celebration at the Myoma grounds in Yangon, Myanmar on December 31, 2012. (Soe Than WIN/AFP/Getty Images)

    Asia Celebrates the New Year

    Amidst face paint, fireworks and festivities, countries around Asia rejoice at the beginning of a new year.
  • Then-New York Knick Jeremy Lin (#17) in action at New York City's Madison Square Garden on March 16, 2012. (Al Bello/Getty Images)

    Photos: From Linsanity to Galloping Gangnam, a Look Back at Asia in 2012

    As the world bids 2012 adieu, we look back at some of the year's most memorable people and events from Asia.
  • China's newly appointed leader Xi Jinping gestures as he attends a meeting with "foreign experts" at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on December 5, 2012. (Ed Jones/AFP/Getty Images)

    2013, and Beyond: Why Reform May Be Mission Impossible for China's Xi Jinping

    Facing many different political factions and conflicts, the cards are stacked against China's new leader, writes Ouyang Bin.
  • Arif Lohar and his playful stage moves met with roars of approval from the audience at Asia Society New York on April 28, 2012. (Elsa Ruiz/Asia Society)

    What Were the Five Most Watched Asia Society Videos in 2012?

    What videos from Asia Society did you find most interesting in 2012? A look back at the five most watched videos from Asia Society on YouTube. From music to politics to robotics, our viewers' tastes ran the gamut.
  • "Defend the Diaoyu Islands" reads this car window, recently glimpsed by the author in Beijing. (Chris Livaccari/Asia Society)

    A Rock By Any Other Name: Asia's Premiere Language Game of 2012

    What's in a name? Territorial disputes in the Pacific tap into an older tradition of organizing reality through naming.
  • Arif Lohar performing at Asia Society in New York in April. (Elsa Ruiz/Asia Society)

    NYT: Arif Lohar One of 2012's Best

    Now it's your chance to watch the Pakistani musical legend's New York show all over again.

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