Once the recipient of foreign financial handouts, the Republic of Korea has transformed itself into a manufacturing powerhouse and an aid donor. As the G20 summit opens in Seoul, Monocle asks whether it is giving enough and…
Which countries get their way in the world without having to resort to military might? Who are the soft power leaders who know the value of well-placed aid or a good pop star? Over the following pages we name the top 25…
Under its post-war constitution, Japan is not allowed a navy, only a Self-Defence Force. Yet, today, the country has one of the largest, most sophisticated fleets in the world. Tensions with North Korea and China have also…
The no-holds-barred motorcade of the Sultan of Brunei, the debate over "real" Japanese food and the Italy-Korea scientific partnership celebrates its 30th birthday.
Global forecasting requires an expert view, so we called on four leading thinkers for a considered analysis of the future: Michael Axworthy, former head of the Iran section at the British Foreign & Commonwealth Office,…
Strung out across Southeast Asia is a chain of restaurants where doll-like North Korean waitresses sing to diners as they sample the country’s cuisine (well, what’s left of it). Is it a benign culinary business foray or…
Stockholm-based SIPRI is one of the world’s leading military thinktanks, advising governments all over the world. Yet behind its success is a uniquely Swedish approach.
Throwing light on the key issues surrounding the forthcoming US election is what keeps these particular think-tanks busy. Meet the people whose remit is to separate fact from fiction.
Its role in Darfur is seen as a failure. It has almost no role in the Middle East. The UN has a colourful history of international diplomacy, but now, as its officials turn on the secretary-general Ban Ki-moon, the confl…
Sichuan was one of China’s poorest provinces until investment from Beijing and abroad brought boom times to its capital. Chengdu and its ‘pambassadors’ went on a global sales offensive.
Independent from the Soviet Union since 1991, and finally emerging from years of corruption, oil-rich Azerbaijan is now planning a diplomatic campaign to change its image. But to fill its new embassies – 16 so far this year…
How the world should deal with China and can US campaigns run without crowds? Plus: Denmark’s happiness museum, five resilient cities, Belarus cosies up to the west and Brazil’s offshore defences.