Category: Asia

CHINESE LENDING IN AFRICA: A BLESSING OR A TRAP?

In August 2018, a bipartisan group of 16 US senators cited “the dangers of China’s debt-trap diplomacy” stating that “it is imperative that the United States counters China’s attempts to hold other countries financially hostage and force ransoms that further its geostrategic goals.” Is China providing debt to African countries as a means of obtaining valuable geostrategic assets or are they engaging in a mutually beneficial relationship that is in their economic and geostrategic interest? … Continue readingCHINESE LENDING IN AFRICA: A BLESSING OR A TRAP?

Global Vaccine Inequality: ‘And the Weak Suffer What They Must’?

As many countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom continue their vaccination campaigns and move closer to becoming post-Covid societies, it has become increasingly clear just how stark the divide between developed and developing nations is, and how COVID-19 is no longer an equal threat to everyone, but instead a something that developed nations no longer need to worry about, while the rest of the world is left to suffer. … Continue readingGlobal Vaccine Inequality: ‘And the Weak Suffer What They Must’?

Posted on by Megha Iyer

HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF: THE US WITHDRAWAL FROM AFGHANISTAN

Twenty years, four Presidents and over 180,000 casualties later, the United States is officially leaving Afghanistan. The 2001 Invasion of Afghanistan and subsequent War has been the US’s longest conflict. It has further been one of the most consequential events in recent history, responsible for spurring the boundless War on Terror. However, to truly realise the immense repercussions of this momentous occasion, it would serve us to look back at how we got to today. … Continue readingHISTORY REPEATS ITSELF: THE US WITHDRAWAL FROM AFGHANISTAN

The ‘Build Back Better World’ Initiative: Is Diplomacy ‘Back’?

A the recent G7 Summit, leaders claimed that “Diplomacy is back”. Given that this was the first time in two years that leaders had met in person, the opportunity was seized to discuss what they considered to be the world’s most pressing issues, including vaccine inequity, climate change, global taxes, and current conflicts. Most central to this claim, however, was the announcement of the ‘Build Back Better World’ infrastructure initiative. … Continue readingThe ‘Build Back Better World’ Initiative: Is Diplomacy ‘Back’?

Posted on by Hamah Hosen

Armenia vs Azerbaijan: A Caucasus proxy war?

The region of Nagorno-Karabakh has remained a sensitive one for decades. The small landlocked enclave rests between Azerbaijan and Armenia, two states who lay age-old claims to the disputed territory. However, the most recent war, lasting six weeks, added a new element to the fighting: the evident involvement of regional powerhouses Russia and Turkey. … Continue readingArmenia vs Azerbaijan: A Caucasus proxy war?

THE MILK TEA ALLIANCE: FROM INTERNET MEME TO PAN-ASIAN MOVEMENT

Although it began first as an internet meme to combat Chinese nationalist commenters on social media, the Milk Tea Alliance has now evolved into a proper protest movement between Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, and Myanmar. Although still in its infancy, it has the potential to become a truly global movement against tyranny and authoritarianism. … Continue readingTHE MILK TEA ALLIANCE: FROM INTERNET MEME TO PAN-ASIAN MOVEMENT

INDIA’S COVID CATASTROPHE – HOW DID IT GO SO WRONG?

India crossed the devastating milestone of 242,000 deaths on 10 May, following several consecutive days of over 400,000 COVID cases. Images of mass cremations and steep graphs have taken centre stage on news reports, amid fears that the true number could be far greater than reported – potentially 30 times higher, this equating to approximately half a billion cases nationally. Globally, there is a resounding question – how did it go so wrong for India? … Continue readingINDIA’S COVID CATASTROPHE – HOW DID IT GO SO WRONG?

ANTI-ASIAN HATE – IT’S AN AUSTRALIAN ISSUE TOO

BY JESSIE WEN -#StopAsianHate has become one of the trending hashtags on the internet across social media platforms, catalysed in response to the killing of 6 Asian women in a massage parlour at the hands of a 21 year old white male in Atlanta, Georgia. The incident has added lost lives to the growing list of violent Asian hate crimes seen in the United States, and globally including Australia. … Continue readingANTI-ASIAN HATE – IT’S AN AUSTRALIAN ISSUE TOO

Posted on by Jessie Wen

THE FARMERS ENDURE – THE PROTESTS THAT FAIL TO BE QUASHED BY INDIA

BY GURSEWAK SINGH – Earlier this month, farmer rallies on the outskirts of New Delhi surpassed 100 continuous days of protesting. Instigated by farmers from across India, the protesters seek to repeal three pieces of legislation passed by the Indian Government which they view as encroaching on the stability and security of the more than 100 million farmers in India. The farmers’ protests provide an opportunity to not just explore the incredibly important agriculture sector in India but also the anti-democratic tendencies of the Indian Government and how the farmers protest has stuck around to become an anomaly in a series of protests against the Government.
… Continue readingTHE FARMERS ENDURE – THE PROTESTS THAT FAIL TO BE QUASHED BY INDIA