Posts in Faultlines
The EU ventures into the strategic “jungle”

Written by Mohammadbagher Forough

While tropes such as ‘values’ and ‘standards’ are promoted as the main feature of the Global Gateway’s connectivity agenda, African countries (and many others in Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America) will not overlook the fact that this promoted feature contrasts uneasily with neo-colonialist-sounding dichotomies like ‘garden/jungle’.

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The Milk Tea Alliance — an uphill battle against the authoritarian paradigm

Written by Roger Lee Huang

While the Milk Tea Alliance initially captured the imagination of global audiences, it has thus far been unable to consistently mobilise a critical mass to dislodge their respective authoritarian establishments.

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Japan-Russia relations: Stronger stance needed on energy imports

Written by James DJ Brown

The Kishida administration’s record since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is impressive, especially compared to Abe’s pandering to Putin. Yet Japan needs to go one step further by rapidly cutting imports of Russian gas.

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Going global: Beijing’s bid to rewrite the rules of international security

Written by Sam Bresnick

If Beijing succeeds in impelling Global Security Initiative partners to revise existing security norms and arrangements (certainly a big ‘if’), the United States and its allies could find themselves increasingly constrained.

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The China-Russia ‘no-limits’ friendship in full swing

Written by Justyna Szczudlik

Possible concessions from China would neither be cost- and condition-free, nor change the nature of Beijing-Moscow ties. The best way for the West to deal with the China-Russia alignment is to acknowledge that these bonds are strong and to improve its own resilience and deterrence capacities.

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Hong Kong’s colony status and right to self-determination: why this is problematic for Beijing

Written by Ho-fung Hung

The more Beijing does to impose a rewriting of history to deny that Hong Kong was ever a colony, the more the international community will become aware of the fact that Hong Kong has never exercised its right to self-determination, as warranted by its past colony status during decolonisation.

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Italy pushes back against China’s technology transfer

Written by Francesca Ghiretti and Rebecca Arcesati

Mario Draghi’s new unit to screen FDI in strategic sectors should be concerned with more than inbound investments. Particularly, the new division should consider turning its attention towards research and innovation (R&I) exchanges.

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The Macbethian tragedy of Indonesian democracy

Written by Emirza Adi Syailendra

The harder task is to unlearn the mentality of the masses that have been desensitised to the employment of undemocratic means, making them susceptible to electing another despot.

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The rationale behind Beijing’s position on the war in Ukraine

Written by Wang Li

Beijing believes that even if Moscow’s reputation as a formidable military power has suffered a serious blow during its war in Ukraine it will be able to re-emerge as a stronger power in a short time.

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When think-tanks get terrorism wrong: The IEP and Myanmar

Written by Georg Bauer

Such a reassessment of Myanmar must include a look at the military as its conduct much more fits the IEP’s own terrorism definition.

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Liberalism from below: The Global South, Ukraine and the Liberal International Order

Written by Indrajit Roy

Of the 141 countries that condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, over 90 are from the Global South. Criticisms of Russia are thus not confined to European or North American countries.

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Duterte, the last of the drug warriors?

Written by David Hutt

Much of the coverage of Southeast Asia’s drug wars has focused on the drug warriors themselves. But if, as experts say, populist politicians regard drug wars as an easy way to capture votes, perhaps the problem lies first with society, not with politics.

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Russia, China and their search for great power identity

Written by Anisa Heritage

A consequence of Putin’s actions against Ukraine is the strengthening of Taiwanese identity and the intensification of their already strong desire to be separate from mainland China.

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China's IUU fishing fleet a growing threat to global food security

Written by Joseph Hammond

Perhaps most importantly, more effort should be put into enhancing the enforcement and naval capabilities of states involved where significant IUU fishing is present from Africa to the South Pacific.

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China’s role in the Serbian 2022 elections campaign

Written by Stefan Vladisavljev

Environmental consequences, rising levels of public debt, and labour treatment concerns must be addressed in accordance with the domestic legislative framework. If not, deepening relations with China could derail Serbia from the path of European integration.

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The day the music stopped

Written by Jana C. von Dessien

The Western strategy has reached its limits: switching between realpolitik and moral superiority at one’s own discretion no longer comes without massive costs.

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Human rights in the age of Southeast Asian extractivism

Written by Annika Reynolds

The differing experiences of Indonesia, Thailand, and the Philippines offer valuable lessons in the era of globalised extractivism, accelerating climate change and the struggle for human rights.

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Ukraine — A wakeup call for the United States

Written by Nicholas Ross Smith

Washington needs to replace its grand strategy with more nuanced strategies that better reflect the evolving power dynamics of the international and regional systems. Without realistic adjustments, the United States and its allies face a difficult future of regional great power competitions in Eastern Europe and the Indo-Pacific.

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