China’s Collective Memory of the War of Resistance

by CHRISTAL CHENG, University of Toronto '22 The Second Sino-Japanese War refers to the military conflict fought between China and the Japanese Empire during World War II. In spite of the unimaginable scale of human suffering and the ravaging effects of war on the society, the eight years of resistance contributed to the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) rise to power.

Return of the Dragon: Xi Jinping’s Nationalist Vision & Global Ambitions

by SAM ZENG '21 Since 2012, Xi Jinping has made explicit his desire to accomplish the “great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation,” drawing on popular nationalist sentiment that believes China’s rightful place is being the dominant power in Asia.

The U.S. should let the IMF should bail out Pakistan. Here’s why.

by JOSH ZAKHAROV, '20 Last week, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced in an interview with CNBC that the United States would oppose a hypothetical International Monetary Fund bailout of Pakistan’s $12 billion debt to China. “We will be watching what the IMF does,” said Pompeo, as "there's no rationale for IMF tax dollars —...

The String of Pearls and The Mine of Jewels: Evolving Strategic Dynamics in the Indian Ocean Region and Lessons from the South China Sea

by GAURAV KALWANI, '19 In May of this year, Chinese forces deployed surface-to-air and anti-ship cruise missiles on its occupied reefs in the Spratly Islands of the South China Sea (SCS).[1] China’s actions, though certainly concerning to the international community, were hardly surprising. The placement of missiles was simply another (albeit a dramatic) escalation in...

Quad 2.0: Malabar 2018 and Beyond

by PALLAVI GEETHIKA, University of Chicago '21 This April, the Australian Defence Ministry confirmed that Australia will not join India, Japan, and the United States in the upcoming Malabar naval exercises scheduled to take place near Guam.[1] Collectively called ‘Exercise Malabar’, these drills began in 1992 as annual bilateral naval exercises between India and the...

New Approaches to America’s Longest War

by BEN SILVIAN Even though the Islamic State has lost much of its territorial holdings in Iraq and Syria, it would be a mistake to assume that security in the Middle East is no longer a serious concern. In fact, recent headlines highlighting America’s successes against terrorism in the Middle East may promote complacency and...

The Origins of Corruption in the Philippines: The “Cultural Deviancy” Fallacy

by TOMMIE THOMPSON It has practically become a trope among the elites of the Philippines – the ilustrados – to attribute their nation’s failures to their own idiocy. Often times they call on their peers to reject corruption, vice, and backwardness, and to look to the West (especially the US) for inspiration. Ateneo de Manila University’s...

Deradicalization in Pakistan

by MOHAMMAD TAIMUR ALI AHMAD The attack on Army Public School (APS) Peshawar and the subsequent chain of events exposed a great deal about Pakistan’s counterterrorism policy. The sheer brutality of the act shook the masses and led them to come out on the streets in protest, while the audacity and success of the terrorists...

A Path Once Traveled: How Southeast Asia Withstood the Global Recession

by TOMMIE THOMPSON Like a lot of the developing world, Southeast Asia was fairly resilient during the initial thrust of the Global Recession. The region had one of the smallest dips in economic performance, and a few of its countries – Indonesia and the Philippines – even experienced growth. However, its success was not sustained as...

A Fulcrum to the Asian Pivot: Creating Lasting Democratic Societies in South-East Asia

by MITCHELL DENNIS Of the eleven nations comprising South-East Asia, only three can be classified as democracies. The region comprises over 600 million people; yet none of them live in a free society, as measured by Freedom House. Democracies were not always rare in this region. The region was often championed as a paragon for democratic...