- China, Money Can’t Buy You Love
Why does China struggle to win hearts and minds abroad? Why is it still “uncool” in the international arena? - South Korea’s President Yoon Says Goodbye to the Blue House and Hello to Controversy
After his election as the new President of South Korea in May, Yoon Suk-yeol hastily implemented one of his key promises: to relocate South Korea’s presidential office from Chung Wa Dae (Blue House) to a Defense Ministry Complex in Yongsan, an underdeveloped neighborhood in Seoul best known for its stationing of the United States military forces. - Making of a Martyr
Imran Khan’s constitutional coup and subsequent dissolution of the National Assembly has polarized Pakistan; a flurry of allegations has magnified the power of the military in the country’s domestic politics. Pakistan’s current constitutional crisis was sparked by a vote of no-confidence against Imran Khan in April 2022, but has escalated further now that Khan has been disqualified from the next set of elections in August 2023. In the wake of the vote of no confidence, Khan rallied unprecedented support against the military establishment while he simultaneously claimed an American conspiracy removed him from office, which may have been fabricated. - China’s Political Awakening Amidst Zero-COVID
For three years, the CCP’s zero-COVID policy in the aftermath of the Wuhan outbreak has included mass lockdowns, excessive testings, heightened surveillance, isolation, quarantines, and border closures. For three years, the CCP has managed to justify the policy by broadcasting how they were able to hold the virus at bay during 2020 and 2021 and how they kept excess deaths to low levels while marginally revitalizing China’s economy after an almost 7 percent sharp decline in GDP. - China Is Lagging–the Worst Is Yet to Come
Recently, there has been much debate surrounding whether China can prevent a recession for the upcoming year. In reality, not only is China incapable of preventing a recession—it appears that China’s recession is already underway, and there are several leading indicators suggesting that the worst is yet to come. Despite talks of GDP growth and state sponsored infrastructure projects to boost its economy, China is currently exhibiting telltale signs of an ongoing recession. - Power Politics in the Arctic: China and India
In the Arctic, global warming is opening opportunities for the allocation of needed resources even to non-Arctic states. - Political Theater at the 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party
The show of force and shift in new leadership firmly established Xi’s undisputed control over party and country, making the entire week-long affair seem less about confirming political appointments, and more of a coronation ceremony for Xi. - China’s Party Congress and the End of Political Competition
As the recent 20th Party Congress came to a conclusion, Sino-watchers across the globe were less interested in China’s immediate policy direction. Rather, there was a profound sense that the world’s second-largest economic and military power seemed to have gone adrift; or for some, more depressingly, it highlighted the end of an epoch. - Perspective | China’s Extraterritorial Reach on the Chinese Diaspora
What does it mean to be Chinese? Am I Chinese? With my recent move to New York City, I am surprised at how often I am asked this question: Are you Chinese? I struggle to respond every time because the word “Chinese” can mean a lot of things – a nationality, an ethnicity, a language, and even a culture. And it requires much more than a simple yes or no to answer. - The Paradox of Post-Colonialism in Hong Kong
On September 16, I watched as Hong Kongers lined up for hours outside the British Consulate in Admiralty, the city’s eastern central business district, to pay their respects to the late Queen Elizabeth II. A colossal bed of flowers and pictures of the queen were gradually built up against the consulate walls—it may have been one of the greatest displays of affection for the late monarch witnessed outside the UK. - Emerging Conversations on Anti-Asian Hate Crimes and the Legalities Behind Them
On Sept. 29, the US-Asia Law Institute at NYU Law invited attorneys Jennifer Wu (NYU Law, 2004) and Lawrence Wee (Harvard Law, 1994) from the Paul Weiss Law firm to discuss anti-Asian hate crime. Wu and Wee spoke on the difficulty of prosecuting hate crimes through the nature of collecting evidence, and why the community response, both digital and protest advocacy, should be made first and foremost with the voice of the victims in mind. In a city-campus where students are already cautious of daily safety, the rise in hate crimes and the deaths of young professionals alarmed safety concerns and brought forward attention and support for the Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) community. - Beijing – The Next Target of US Sanctions?
Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine has animated the use of economic sanctions in an unprecedented way. Strenuous US-China relations, exacerbated by Nancy Pelosi’s provocative visit to Taiwan, raise the question of whether Washington would impose similar measures on Beijing in the face of a military invasion of Taiwan. - A Fourth Taiwan Strait Crisis?
On August 4, 2022, the day following the official state visit by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) responded by conducting the largest military exercises ever staged by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in the Taiwan Strait. - 2022 Winter Olympics: More Divisive than Unifying
Since their inception in ancient Greece, the Olympic Games have been used as a tool for peace promotion. - Will China Become the New Middle East Power Broker?
As the United States draws down its presence in the Middle East, many in the international community are wondering what actor might step in to fill the supposed power vacuum that will be left in place of the region’s main security broker. - The Regulatory Crackdown: Xi’s Reforms Miss the Mark
The prospect of China’s superstar real estate giant, Evergrande Group, defaulting on an offshore coupon payment of $84 million sent panic waves across the global investing community. - Impact of the U.S.-China Trade War and China’s Policy Responses
Since China’s accession to the WTO, trade between China and the U.S. has been increasing over time. - What Does the Abraham Accord Mean for India?
On August 13, Israel and the United Arab Emirates announced normalization of their relations. This deal, known as the Abraham Accord, was brokered by United… - Iran May Be Disappointed When China’s Commitment is Tested
In his spare time, Iran’s foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif likes reminding his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi that Iran is finally ready to take on… - Japan sends mixed signals as they push for ‘World Free of Nuclear Weapons’
Japan faces a moral conundrum in its stance towards nuclear weapons. As the only country ever to experience the atrocities of the atomic bomb, it… - How Overturning a Christian Woman’s Death Sentence Brought Pakistan to a Standstill
On Tuesday, Pakistan’s Supreme Court acquitted Asia Bibi, a woman falsely accused of blasphemy, in a landmark verdict. This long-delayed, historic decision freed Bibi after… - Kent State Massacre’s Twin: 40 Years Later and 8000 Miles Away, Why Don’t We Care?
On June 7, Papua New Guinea’s police opened fire on university students who were peacefully protesting against government corruption. Initial reports stated that four students… - Myanmar elects new president but full democracy’s yet to come
On April 1, Myanmar’s new President, Htin Kyaw, will take his post in office and usher in a new era in the country’s politics. His… - The UN imposed the harshest sanctions in history against North Korea—what now?
On March 2nd, the UN Security Council unanimously voted to impose the harshest sanctions on North Korea in nearly two decades in a multilateral effort… - Border Protection, but at What Cost? Lessons learned from Australia’s tough anti-refugee policies.
In August 2001, a Norwegian freight ship carrying 438 refugees attempted to cross Australian waters. The ship’s captain, who rescued the refugees after their boat… - After natural catastrophes, aid mismanagement leads to civil unrest
More than 9,000 people were killed in a 7.8 magnitude earthquake that devastated Nepal on April 25, 2015. Four days later, nearly 200 Nepali villagers… - Ethnic violence in Myanmar tampers promises of democracy
Since the military junta stepped down in 2011, Myanmar began a sustained process of political transformation. President Thein Sein’s administration has paved the way for… - A Mediterranean-Style Crisis for the Andaman Sea?
On the 11th floor of an apartment building on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur, four Rohingya men sat down to celebrate the end of the… - Social Enterprises Offer a New Approach to International Development
In a world that has created a division between the rich and poor, there are people searching for answers on how to even the playing… - How your favorite chocolate is killing orangutans in Malaysia—and what you can do to avoid it.
When France’s ecology minister Ségolène Royal implored the world to stop eating Nutella this week, she became the most prominent Western politician to join the… - Lee Kuan Yew’s Last Gift to Taiwan: Funeral Diplomacy and the Future of Singapore-Taiwan Relations
Even in his death, Lee Kuan Yew, the late Singaporean Prime Minister, has given Taiwan one last gift: the reaffirmation of Taiwan-Singapore relations in an… - Time Is Running Out for Korean Families Torn Apart by War
“Do you remember all the stories and information I have told you about my parents and siblings in the North? Do never forget and please… - The Detention of Anwar Might Be PM Najib’s Undoing
On February 10, Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim was imprisoned on charges of sodomy, a crime punishable by up to 20 years in prison. This… - Aung San Suu Kyi Won’t Speak Up for This Human Rights Abuse
She is the consummate activist for democracy and freedom, but she remains silent on a major human rights violation against the Rohingya minority in… - Trouble in Paradise: The Island President Under Attack
The Maldives archipelago inspires images of pristine blue water, white sandy beaches and palm trees. Yet on February 23, a very different image populated… - Time for India to Take Down Dawood Ibrahim
[Originally posted here] Dawood Ibrahim is perhaps the most notorious “underworld don” in South Asia, involved in everything from supporting terrorist organizations like Lashkar-e-Taiba and… - South Asia: Battle Ground Between ISIS & al-Qaeda
[Originally posted here] Since the video statement by al-Qaeda leader Ayman al Zawahiri on September 3 announcing al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent, South Asia has… - Asia and the Pacific Contributors
Are you interested in Asia and the Pacific affairs? JPI is expanding and in addition to the Journal, published twice a year, we are now…
Student-led research, news, and political commentary from the International Relations graduate program at New York University