The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a plan devised in 2013 by Xi Jinping, details the construction of maritime and land economic belts through highways, railways, energy pipelines, and streamlined border crossings. The project aims to expand the use of … Continue reading
Category: Asia Pacific
Detecting Domestic Signs of Failure, But Not Foreign Threats
Have Canada and the United States failed to design effective, impermeable 21st-century airspace security mechanisms?
Hong Kong: la fin du “un pays, deux systèmes”?
Le plus grand procès de 47 militants pro-démocratie à Hong Kong a débuté le 6 février 2023 et devrait durer quatre mois. Les accusés sont poursuivis pour avoir enfreint la loi sur la sécurité nationale, qui a été imposée à … Continue reading
Itaewon Crowd Crush and its Political Implications: An Accident or Preventable Disaster?
On the evening of Saturday, October 29, 2022, about 100,000 people mostly in their teens and 20s gathered in the popular nightlife district in central Seoul, Itaewon, to enjoy Halloween festivities. With the revival of parties and clubbing for the … Continue reading
Rising Tensions over Taiwan: A Brief on U.S. Military Involvement in the Philippines
In early February, the U.S. and the Philippines announced their plan to give the American military access to four new locations in the region. This agreement will allow Washington to build military facilities and hold equipment in nine locations nationwide. … Continue reading
The Buddhist Ethics of Killing
“The monk pulled back his saffron robes to reveal his Smith & Wesson handgun.”
Buddhist lethality is a complex topic debated in various academic and philosophical circles. These discussions have ripple effects on policy and foreign attitudes, centre around Buddhism’s … Continue reading
Les nouvelles routes de la soie dix ans après, des promesses tenues?
Les nouvelles routes de la soie ou “Belt and Road Initiative” (BRI) est le projet de développement le plus important à l’échelle internationale depuis le début du 21ème siècle. Étant le projet du président chinois Xi Jinping … Continue reading
Human Rights in North Korea and the Advocacy of HanVoice
Western media portrayal of North Korea depicts an autocratic regime ruled by a dictator obsessed with the country’s nuclear weapons program. But is that all there is to North Korea? By not covering North Korea’s systemic human rights violations, news outlets undermine the graveness of the humanitarian crisis in the country.
Hanbok vs Hanfu: Chinese Cultural Appropriation Stirs Outrage in South Korea
The controversy on the origin of ‘hanbok’ first came about in April 2021, when Chinese mobile game “Call me an Emperor” dressed a female character in a hanbok dress that was worn by Korean singer-songwriter and actress IU in the … Continue reading
China’s Difficult Position in the Russia-Ukraine Conflict
While the escalation of the Russia-Ukraine conflict has put the two countries under the spotlight, another country, China, has also been repeatedly mentioned in the war. As the only major power showing ambiguity of the attitude towards Russia’s invasion of … Continue reading