Why Communist Anti-Corruption Campaigns Never Work
Ongoing anti-graft campaigns in Vietnam and Laos focus on officials' moral conduct without addressing the political structures that incentivize corruption.
View ArticleUNESCO Calls for Heritage Assessment for Lao Hydropower Dam
The U.N.'s cultural agency fears that the project might endanger the World Heritage-listed town of Luang Prabang.
View ArticleLaos Grants 25-Year Power Grid Concession to Chinese-Majority Firm
The deal will deepen China's involvement in the Lao government's goal of transforming itself into the "battery of Southeast Asia."
View ArticleVietnam Hands Over $111 Million Parliament Building to Lao Government
The building highlights Vietnam's desire to prevent Laos from spiraling off into China's orbit.
View ArticleLaos’ Austerity Fantasies Reveal the Communist Party’s Weaknesses
Ballooning external debt and growing fiscal deficits augur political storm clouds for the ruling LPRP.
View ArticleChinese Casino Magnate’s Empire Set to Expand in Laos
The businessman Zhao Wei has established close relationships to Laos's communist elite.
View ArticleWhat’s in the New Russian Military Facility Chatter in Laos?
A closer look at a latest manifestation of Moscow’s growing defense presence in the Southeast Asian nation.
View ArticleLaos Introduces Two-Week Lockdown to Contain Rare COVID-19 Outbreak
The outbreak comes after a year in which the Southeast Asian nation mostly evaded the coronavirus.
View ArticleBoten: the Renaissance of Laos’s Golden City
The one-time casino boom town on the Laos-China border is on the rise again, powered by billions in Chinese investment.
View ArticleLaos Establishes Task Force to Police Social Media Platforms
The Lao communist authorities fear that Facebook could become an incubator of anti-government sentiment.
View ArticleOn China’s Doorstep, Laos Plays a Careful Game of Balancing
China's influence is growing in Laos, but the country's foreign relations present a more complex picture.
View ArticleLaos Seizes Record Meth Haul Amid Regional Production Boom
This week's 17 million tablet haul amounts to nearly the entire recorded seizures for last year.
View ArticleThe Threat of a Dam Disaster in Luang Prabang
The dam near Luang Prabang - both a World Heritage site and an seismically active zone - is “an irresponsible gamble,” experts argue.
View ArticleLaos-China Railway on Track for December Opening: Official
The completion of the railway will deepen China's influence over the landlocked nation of seven million.
View ArticleGiant Buddha Statue Plan Rankles Residents of Laos’ Capital: Report
A Chinese firm's plans to build a 100-meter-high Buddha statue in low-lying Vientiane encapsulate China's outsized economic presence in Laos.
View ArticleDespite Crime Concerns, Laos Authorizes Cryptocurrency Trial
But little good will come from authorizing the mining and trading of the volatile digital currencies.
View ArticleLaos Tightens COVID-19 Restrictions as Infections Reach New Peak
Like many of its neighbors, the nation has struggled to contain recent outbreaks of the Delta variant of COVID-19.
View ArticleIn Rare Three-Party Conclave, Vietnam Pushes Back Against Growing Chinese...
Hanoi is becoming increasingly unnerved by the growing Chinese influence over its longstanding clients, Cambodia and Laos.
View ArticleWhat Chinese Dams in Laos Tell Us About the Belt and Road Initiative
Analyzing Chinese dams in Laos provides insight into the local origins and drivers of the BRI, particularly along China’s borderland regions.
View ArticleLaos-China Railway Inaugurated Amid Mounting Debt Concerns
The $5.9 billion railway, an impressive feat of Chinese engineering, is set to tie Laos ever closer to its northern neighbor.
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