Is it possible for ideas to freeze, to chip, to settle in a snowbank, to blow away in a winter storm? Can ideas be ice? Today, the Arctic is a battleground of competing philosophies; ways to live, to govern, and to relate to others, all struggling to find their footing amongst the shifting tundra. As […]
Tag: China
MAXimizing Surveillance
When users experienced a “metallic buzzing” on WhatsApp and Telegram calls starting in Aug. 2025, Russia’s state internet regulator, Roskomnadzor, claimed it was because the platforms acted as aids in alleged fraud and terrorism. Just a week after the initial interference, the Kremlin announced a mandate that the VK messaging app Max would come preinstalled […]
The Decapitation of the Dragon
In January, the Ministry of National Defence of the People’s Republic of China made an announcement that sent shockwaves through East Asian military dynamics: they had dismissed General Zhang Youxia and General Liu Zhenli from the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). The allegations were serious, with “violations of discipline and law” cited, with both being accused […]
The Global Aftershocks of Brazil’s Narrowing Election
Brazil has long held a paradoxical position in the global political order. It is the largest nation in Latin America, the world’s ninth-largest economy, the seventh-largest population, and a founder of major international institutions like Mercosur and BRICS. However, Brasilia has also historically avoided rigid geopolitical alignments, favoring a foreign policy centered on strategic autonomy […]
The Drums of Diplomacy
In Japan’s ancient cultural city of Nara, a rather surreal event unfolded in mid-January. A stage usually reserved for rather mundane diplomatic events, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi invited South Korean President Lee Jae-myung to play drums with her. As the two Asian leaders hammered out a lively cover of “Golden” from K-Pop Demon Hunters, […]
The Rise of Developing Nations from the Chinese Net Decline
As cranes dotted skylines across Nairobi, Colombo, and Karachi in 2013, China’s vast Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) had sprung into full velocity. Pouring over $1 trillion into developing countries symbolized their promise to rewrite the global economic map. However, today, those exact cranes remain inactive. The dozens of lower-middle-income nations that had once received […]
Serve the People, March the Nation
In Beijing’s 2025 military parade, symbolism mattered as much as firepower. Alongside next-generation drones and hypersonic missiles, President Xi Jinping stood in a Mao-style suit, flanked by foreign dignitaries like Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un. Chinese state media called it a celebration of national “rejuvenation,” but for those who came of age during the […]
Where is Trump leading NASA?
When the world watched Neil Armstrong take mankind’s first steps on the moon in 1969, the United States solidified its place in leading the push into the great unknown of space. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), in turn, not only elevated humanity’s collective knowledge but also America’s international reputation for scientific innovation. However, […]
When the Free Market Isn’t Free
The promise of American capitalism has long offered a vision of prosperity driven by the market and the people, where the government’s role was simply to stay out of the way. This American creed is embraced by conservative politicians shaped by Reagan-era beliefs in deregulation and small government, but it does not belong to conservatives […]
The Chinese Dream Versus a Chemical Crisis
China has backed itself into a diplomatic corner. In order to achieve its ambitious goals, Beijing must balance its reputation, relations with potential investees in the Global South, and relations with the United States. In terms of the U.S., Beijing wants to project power, mainly by winning the trade war through strategic leveraging of counternarcotics […]