The Dialectics of Discontent: A Glimpse of Reality through Societal Phenomena in Post-COVID China

In the heart of Shandong province, Zibo’s streets are filled with a smoky allure. Barbecues have become a symbol of cultural resistance against the societal pressures of post-Covid China. This ‘BBQ City – Zibo‘ phenomenon contrasts sharply with ‘Runology,’ a term encapsulating the yearning of … Continue readingThe Dialectics of Discontent: A Glimpse of Reality through Societal Phenomena in Post-COVID China

WHY CHECHENS ARE FIGHTING FOR – AND AGAINST – RUSSIA IN UKRAINE

At first glance, Chechnya — the small Russian republic in the Northern Caucasus region — appears an unlikely candidate for substantial involvement in Russia’s war against Ukraine. The republic is barely 0.1% of Russia’s total area, and contains less than 1% of Russia’s population. Perhaps even less likely is a scenario in which Chechens fight in Ukraine on both sides. Yet both situations are now playing out. To understand why, we must understand how Chechnya’s current religious and geopolitical circumstances developed. … Continue readingWHY CHECHENS ARE FIGHTING FOR – AND AGAINST – RUSSIA IN UKRAINE

The Johnson-Truss Transition | Can Britain’s New PM Assert Her Leadership?

Boris Johnson has bowed out as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom after just three years in the role. With the UK facing a cost-of-living crisis, an energy catastrophe, and low levels of trust in elected officials, Johnson’s successor and former lieutenant Liz Truss faces one of the worst in-trays an incoming PM has had to tackle in a generation. Requiring an urgent response, will she be up for the task, or will she be forced to go the way of her recent predecessors? Will she be able to emerge from the shadow of Johnson’s leadership? … Continue readingThe Johnson-Truss Transition | Can Britain’s New PM Assert Her Leadership?

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The Emperor’s New Groove? China’s Reimagined Image

China’s rise over the last several decades has at times been accompanied by turbulent relations with other states and the multilateral system more broadly.

As Owen Robinson writes, this has led to several efforts by the Chinese Government to transform its image on the global stage and with individuals on a smaller scale. … Continue readingThe Emperor’s New Groove? China’s Reimagined Image

Success with some Setbacks: The 2022 Meeting of the Pacific Islands Forum

‘Until July this year, the Pacific Islands Forum was a little known intergovernmental organisation that advocated for cooperation between, and the interests of, its Pacific nation members. Yet with the Forum’s 2022 Meeting, held in the Fijian capital of Suva, having just concluded (its first in-person meeting since 2019), it has shed its tag of “little known”.’

Nicholas Butler discusses the achievements and controversies that defined this year’s especially significant Pacific Islands Forum. … Continue readingSuccess with some Setbacks: The 2022 Meeting of the Pacific Islands Forum

Surging Prices: The Reasons behind Increasing Global Gas Prices

“Over the past two years, natural gas prices have more than doubled. Those of us who use gas every day, such as for cooking and heating our homes, have seen enormous cost increases but many are unsure why. So what has happened? Everything.”

Monique Westcott addresses this burning question. … Continue readingSurging Prices: The Reasons behind Increasing Global Gas Prices

Sports and Politics: Can They Be Kept Separate?

The implications of the Russian invasion of Ukraine continue to expand beyond politics and the economy and into new contexts, the latest of which has been sport. The highly esteemed English tennis competition Wimbledon has made the decision to impose a ban on Russian and Belarusian players as part of a global effort to sanction Russia for its attack on Ukraine.

Sneha Ramanan discusses the significance of this ban and asks the question: Can sport and politics ever truly be separated? … Continue readingSports and Politics: Can They Be Kept Separate?

KISSING UP AND KICKING DOWN: AUSTRALIA IN THE PACIFIC

Australia’s relationship to the Pacific has been a complicated one, to say the least. We are one of the largest powers in the region, with a huge landmass relative to our neighbours, a developed economy, and powerful allies in the U.S. and the U.K. Compared to some of our closest neighbours such as the Solomon Islands, we are a whale amongst minnows. Yet if we expand our view out from our “backyard” to the broader Indo-Pacific, we see Australia is dwarfed by some serious powers. India, Japan, South Korea, China, and the U.S. are all exerting influence in the region and Australia is doing its level best to maintain its own interests amongst these. … Continue readingKISSING UP AND KICKING DOWN: AUSTRALIA IN THE PACIFIC

Indonesia: Swept under the Carpet

On a single day in 1965, an Indonesian coup rapidly turned into a full-frontal massacre, resulting in an estimated 500,000 to three million deaths. Although the September 30th Movement, as it later became known, was an event of incredible brutality, many parts of this story have regrettably not been told. The atrocities committed as a result of this coup have been largely concealed — unfortunately swept beneath Indonesian and foreign governments’ carpets, for purely economic and strategic aims.

Monique Westcott delves into the history of one of Indonesia’s darkest periods, and the Western interference that helped precipitated it. … Continue readingIndonesia: Swept under the Carpet