Geography is a strange thing. It means everything and nothing and any manner of things in between, all at the same time. It can be the cause of community or conflict, pride or panic, allegiance or alienation.

And while it is a very real thing (locations clearly exist), there is some form of societal construct to them. Where I grew up, Australia, there is a very clear and obvious national border: the ocean. But state borders? Some are based on rivers, but the rest are just straight lines (more or less), chosen for a variety of reasons that made sense at the time.

Long time readers will know I’ve reflected on geography several times. I think it’s partly due to growing up where I did. Interestingly, I now live in Singapore, a country whose former Prime Minister, the late Lee Kuan Yew, once warned Australia could become the “poor white trash of Asia” in the 1980s. It was a significant enough warning that after he passed, several political commentators attributed it to Australia’s eventual prosperity.

While his comments were reflecting on economic success in the late twentieth century, I want to focus on the last part of what he said, specially the last two words: “of Asia". PM Lee seemed to see Australia as part of Asia, but at the same time, it’s a “Western” country alongside its New Zealand cousins. Australia participates in Eurovision, while also participating in the Asian Football Confederation for the FIFA World Cup. It’s in the Southern Hemisphere but part of the Global North.

All of this is to back up my first point: geography is a strange thing. It exists physically, culturally, politically, athletically and more.

So, if geography is (in part) a state of mind, what does it mean to be Asian? We at QS Insights Magazine don’t know, but this month’s edition aims to give you enough information to begin to build your own idea. Included inside are country overviews, in-depth looks at pressing concerns, profiles, interviews and voices from leaders across the region, from Egypt to New Zealand and plenty of places in between.