아시아에서 분노의 또 다른 여름을 준비하라

Young workers are especially vulnerable. Even before the war, the World Bank had warned of mounting unemployment among the region's youth.

Asia’s Gen Z is facing a summer of discontent. Already grappling with bleak job prospects and lackluster growth, it is now being stung by the shock from the Iran war, which is driving up prices of everything from fuel to food and fertilizers.

The immediate impact is economic, but there is a growing risk of political instability. This crisis is hitting a generation already frustrated with inequality and endemic corruption and increasingly willing to push back. Governments will have to stretch their budgets further to prevent young people from falling behind — or confront a renewed wave of unrest.

Last year’s Gen Z-led demonstrations against graft and elite privilege are a warning that anger can spill onto the streets with devastating results. It’s a scenario that could now intensify as the Iran war ripples through economies that are heavily exposed to energy flows through the Strait of Hormuz.