The Diplomat
US foreign affairs and Asia-Pacific news magazine, covering geopolitics, diplomacy, and security across the Indo-Pacific region.
Last refreshed: 6 May 2026 · Appears in 2 active topics
Why is The Diplomat the go-to source on Indo-Pacific data-centre disputes?
Timeline for The Diplomat
Reported water-rights protest framed under UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights
Data Centres: Boom and Backlash: Johor halts data-centre approvals after water protestMentioned in: Netanyahu taps Dermer, rejects Aoun
Iran Conflict 2026Mentioned in: CCTV airs only the war Beijing wants
Iran Conflict 2026Mentioned in: Iran killed protesters under blackout
Iran Conflict 2026What is The Diplomat magazine?
Who owns The Diplomat news magazine?
Why did The Diplomat cover Johor's data centre water crisis?
Background
The Diplomat is a Washington D.c.-based digital news magazine covering politics, society, and security across the Indo-Pacific region. Founded in Australia in 2001 by Minh Bui Jones, David Llewellyn-Smith, and Sung Lee, it transitioned from print to online in 2009 and now reaches more than 2 million monthly unique visitors. The publication is owned by MHT Corporation, a Japanese information services company based in Tokyo. In April 2026, The Diplomat framed Johor's data-centre water dispute under the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, setting a legal and human-rights frame around infrastructure-driven resource stress .
The Diplomat is widely regarded as the English-language publication of record for Indo-Pacific affairs. Its team of specialist editors covers Southeast Asia, South Asia, East Asia, and Oceania. The outlet has tracked Iran's information-operations posture, reporting on Chinese state media during the 2026 Iran conflict and covering the diplomatic fallout for US partners in the region .
For Lowdown's data-centres topic, The Diplomat is the primary source for Southeast Asian regulatory responses to data-centre expansion, particularly water rights, land access, and social licence to operate. Its human-rights framing of the Johor case is significant because it links corporate infrastructure decisions to international accountability standards, a frame increasingly adopted by civil-society groups across the region.
What topics does The Diplomat cover?
