Category: Asia

“Habibi, don’t come to Dubai”: Investigating Modern Day Slavery in the UAE

From Dubai Bling to Dubai Chocolate, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has dominated entertainment media and tourism since the discovery of oil in the late 1960s, launching them as a key player in the global trade hierarchy due to soft power influences. However, the UAE’s ‘elite’ status is one upheld by modern slavery systems under the guise of cheap labour. For as tall as the buildings are, equally as long are the shadows they cast; ones of oppressiveness, human rights abuses and exploitation. … Continue reading“Habibi, don’t come to Dubai”: Investigating Modern Day Slavery in the UAE

Renting wombs: the ethics of international surrogacy

Surrogacy is “booming”. Now a multi-billion dollar industry globally, it is set to be valued at AU$187 billion by 2032. While medical advancements and social shifts have normalised this path to parenthood, there is concern that while surrogacy has the ability to bring one woman’s dream to life, it exploits another — often one more vulnerable than the buyer. … Continue readingRenting wombs: the ethics of international surrogacy

From the Streets to the State: How South Asia’s Youth Are Rewriting Politics

South Asia has been seeing a rise in youth populism, an anti-elite sentiment amongst Gen-Z, which generally stems from triggers such as corruption or misrepresentation.  Though increasingly prevalent in recent years, young people have long been at the centre of political protests, from student activism during the Vietnam War to the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War. Today, this continues through Gen Z-led movements determined to challenge governments and defy aging elites. In the age of social media, mass mobilisation has become easier than ever. … Continue readingFrom the Streets to the State: How South Asia’s Youth Are Rewriting Politics

Why thrifting is not the answer to our global overconsumption problem: The Case for Corporate Responsibility

Thrifting is often celebrated as a sustainable alternative to fast fashion. Purchasing clothes that otherwise would have ended up in landfill, thereby promoting a circular economy. While there is no denying that thrifting is beneficial for the environment, without challenging the consumption narrative and placing corporate responsibility on fast fashion brands, thrifting alone will never solve our overconsumption and overproduction problems. … Continue readingWhy thrifting is not the answer to our global overconsumption problem: The Case for Corporate Responsibility

Empire Strikes Back: Imperialism as the Final Frontier of the United States

The United States has long been losing global power to China, as Beijing challenges Western dominance by leveraging strategic pressure points such as Venezuela, Greenland, and Iran. Imperialism becomes the final frontier of a falling hegemon, a move arising out of diplomatic insecurity, not power. As such, it can be concluded that such interventions globally sends a single message across nations, about the uncertain fate of the global order. … Continue readingEmpire Strikes Back: Imperialism as the Final Frontier of the United States

Indonesia’s Reformasi 2.0: the political echoes of 1998 movements with contemporary 17+8 demands

On 25 August, 2025, nationwide social unrest sparked across Indonesia. These demonstrations emerged amid broader civil unrest over economic hardships and a planned increase in housing subsidies for parliamentarians. Since early 2025, Indonesian citizens have been grappling with rising costs of living, widening inequality, and limited job opportunities, especially among young people. This movement has drawn similarites to the Reformasi movement of 1998, which ended  three decades of dictatorial, rule, ushering in a new democratic age. In both cases, economic hardship, corruption, and public anger at elites’ privilege have became catalysts for mass mobilisation. … Continue readingIndonesia’s Reformasi 2.0: the political echoes of 1998 movements with contemporary 17+8 demands

ASEAN’s dilemma in the Myanmar crisis: the diplomatic deadlock

It has been over four years since the democratic administration of Aung San Suu was overthrown in a coup d’état, an act that caused a profound rupture in Myanmar’s political and economic stability. Following February 2021, the Republic of the Union of Myanmar descended into a full-scale humanitarian crisis, drawing the attention of various regional and international actors. Among these, the Association of South East Nations (ASEAN) assumed a central role in diplomacy, in an attempt to de-escalate the conflict within their fellow member state. … Continue readingASEAN’s dilemma in the Myanmar crisis: the diplomatic deadlock

Posted on by Joan Lim

Authoritarianism, democracy and the climate: comparing the EU and China’s climate governance

The idea of ‘eco-authoritarianism’ calls for authoritarian technocratic governance to push necessary reforms that address the climate crisis. Yet are authoritarian governments really better at tackling climate change? With COP30 just around the corner, the comparison of autocratic and democratic regimes, focusing on the People’s Republic of China and the European Union (EU), including its 27 member states, becomes all the more salient. … Continue readingAuthoritarianism, democracy and the climate: comparing the EU and China’s climate governance

The Restarting of History and the Decline of the Liberal Democratic Order

In 1989, American political scientist and philosopher Francis Fukuyama wrote a now famous essay titled, ‘The End of History.’

36 years on from that monumental declaration, we find ourselves facing a world in which liberalism, the dominant global ideology, faces fatigue. The dream of a world of western democracy seems increasingly challenged and the history of global development seems far from settled. … Continue readingThe Restarting of History and the Decline of the Liberal Democratic Order

Who are the Tehrik-Taliban Pakistan and why are they important to Afghanistan-Pakistan relations?

The Tehrik-Taliban Pakistan or TTP, are a terrorist organisation that have created a significant security risk to Pakistan and aided further destabilisation in Central Asia. With the Taliban looking to play a legitimate role in the central Asian region, it looks like the TTP will be used as a bargaining chip in the Afghan-Pakistan relationship. … Continue readingWho are the Tehrik-Taliban Pakistan and why are they important to Afghanistan-Pakistan relations?